Walking a New Path Part Three: Phoenix Rising
by padawan lynne
Summary: With the Republic crumbling around him Harry Potter must fight in yet another war and figure out the mystery surrounding the Chancellor before the galaxy is plunged into Darkness.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Star Wars. They belong to J K Rowling and George Lucas respectively. I am not making any money off this so please don't sue me. This is the only disclaimer that I will be putting up for the entire story. **

**Phoenix Rising**

**Chapter One: Reluctant Rescue**

Harry and Anakin were in the middle of a dogfight the like of which they'd never seen before. General Grievous, the leader of the Separatist Droid Army had done the supposedly impossible, he'd come right into the heart of the Republic and made off with the Chancellor. Now, Harry and Anakin were leading the rescue mission and dealing with some very heavy resistance along the way.

"Three on your right Harry" Anakin snapped through their headsets. Harry looked that way briefly and replied, "I see them, Anakin, let's see if we can't get rid of them."

With that Harry sent the Marauder into a sharp corkscrew spin, flying through the worst of the fighting that was going on between the Republic and Separatist ships in the upper atmosphere of Coruscant. Anakin followed him, flying so close in his own modified ship that they seemed to be one. Indeed the two Jedi had flown together so often over the years that the Clone Wars had raged that they were able to predict each other's maneuvers as well in flight as they could in a lightsaber duel.

The three pursuers failed to follow closely enough and were blown apart by turbolaser blasts from a Republic cruiser. Harry looked round for General Grievous' command ship which was where Chancellor Palpatine was being held.

"Harry, the General's command ship is dead ahead" Anakin said, before rolling to the side to avoid enemy fire. Harry took a look at their target and groaned.

"Anakin you do realize that it's positively covered with vulture droids?" he asked. Upon his former Padawan's cheerful confirmation of that fact the Jedi Master growled in annoyance. "Anakin this is not FUN!" he snapped when he heard the Knight's comment of the upcoming fight being where the fun began.

The two Jedi executed a series of aerial maneuvers that most would call suicidal in an effort to shake off the droids that came at them. The clone troops that followed them, known as the Griffins in honor of Harry's animagus form held off most of them, until one fired a quartet of missiles at the formation.

Harry, Anakin and the clones let the missiles, and the buzz droids that flew at them pass between their ships, only to discover that the clone ships were destroyed by the droids and the missiles were firmly fixed on the Jedi fighters.

"Let them do their jobs Anakin, we have to focus on ours" Harry snapped when Anakin wanted to go help their comrades. Anakin shook his head but then paled slightly when he saw what the missiles had locked on to.

"Uh Master, I've got two missiles locked on me, one on each engine and the other two are locked on you. We need to deal with them."

Harry frowned. "I agree Anakin and sooner rather than later. I can get myself out of this; do you have a plan to get rid of yours?"

Anakin thought for a second before grinning and replying, "Yup, engaging it now." He then started his ship spinning so the missiles came closer and closer to each other, finally hitting in a blaze of fire. Stopping the spin he grinned and called out, "Mine are taken care of how about yours?"

Harry had been pulling all the tricks he knew to shake his off. Finally he slowed down a bit and then just when the missiles were about to hit him he abruptly moved out of their path. The deadly explosives hissed past his ship and hit another droid ship, releasing more buzz droids which latched straight onto the Marauder.

"Get off my ship you blasted pieces of junk!" Harry snarled as the droids started to efficiently take his beloved ship to pieces all around him. He then heard a welcome voice over the comm. system.

"Move to the right Harry, I'll have a clear shot" he heard Anakin say. Harry felt like retorting, "A clear shot at what?" but didn't. He found out anyway as Anakin's lasers shredded the two droids on his left wing, and unfortunately took the wing as well.

Anakin winced as a howl of outrage came through his earpieces. "ANAKIN!" Harry yelled. "My ship was already in bad shape did you have to mangle it further!"

"Sorry Master, at least it got rid of the droids" he said defensively. A sigh came over the comm. and then Harry muttered, "Yes but you'll be paying for repairs. Where's Grievous' ship?"

"Dead ahead Harry, we're almost there" Anakin replied. Harry looked straight ahead and then said calmly. "Have you noticed, by any chance that the shields are still up? We'll be pulverized if they're not taken down in the next few seconds."

Anakin rolled to the side to get a clear shot at the shield generators and pumped several laser blasts into them. As the shields dropped, a large door started closing swiftly and the two Jedi only just made it in before it closed fully.

Harry crash landed his ship on the floor, as did Anakin before both leapt out and started destroying the battle droids that were waiting for them. In 2 minutes they were finished and walking towards the lift.

"Sorry about the Marauder Harry" Anakin said as they moved towards the lift. Harry glanced at him and then snorted. "It's had worse Anakin, but I meant what I said, you will be helping repair it, and paying for it too. Now let's go get the Chancellor back."

They walked into the lift, and destroyed a few more droids who thought they could take on two fully trained Jedi Knights. Needless to say, they couldn't and Harry and Anakin were soon on their way up to the observation platform at the top of the ship.

Having reached their destination with only a minor hitch, they walked into a large room where the Chancellor was discovered sitting in a black chair with only two wrist cuffs to hold him prisoner. Harry frowned.

"Anakin be wary. Something's not right here." His former apprentice looked at him in concern. "What is it? Is it your scar?" Harry blinked, before replying softly, "Partly yes, it's itching like mad, and burning slightly, but something's out of place with the general picture here. Do you see any droids? The Chancellor is sitting there, relaxed as you please, watching the battle outside. Where's Dooku as well?"

Anakin frowned, his master had always been able to sum up a situation like this pretty well, and it did sound very fishy now that he thought about it. Shrugging he replied, "Lack of droids means an easy rescue and as for Dooku, well, if he's here then we shouldn't have much trouble, he's got 3 robotic limbs thanks to you remember."

"Don't underestimate him Anakin, he's still a formidable opponent" Harry warned as they walked up to the captive Chancellor.

"Hello Chancellor, it's good to see you again" Harry said pleasantly as he released the cuffs round the man's wrists, frowning as his scar flared with intense pain. They turned to leave and saw Dooku standing there waiting for them.

Anakin gently pushed Palpatine back so he was sitting in his seat and then joined Harry in slowly circling the Sith Lord.

"Get help, you're no match for him he's a Sith Lord" Palpatine said. Harry frowned, his scar was burning now, and he didn't know if it was because of Dooku or Palpatine. The way that Palpatine said they were no match also bothered him, the man seemed almost eager for a fight between the three. Looking back he smiled coldly and said "Chancellor Palpatine, I specialize in taking down Dark Lords such as him."

Anakin chimed in with, "Yeah, Dooku's three robotic limbs are courtesy of Harry." Dooku frowned at this reminder and then the battle was on.

Dooku was fast; Anakin had to admit, even with his droid limbs. He and Harry held him off though, until Dooku managed to kick Anakin away and then send Harry flying into a railing at top speed. This enraged Anakin but he controlled it, and used it to fight Dooku even more fiercely than before. As their blades locked, Dooku tried to sway him to the Dark.

"I sense fear in you Skywalker. You have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them." Anakin growled and disengaged his blade before replying, "No, I don't, because I've learnt a better way of dealing with them than going down your path."

Dooku snarled and fought back, but Anakin was too good for him, and with a lightning quick move he severed both of Dooku's hands at the wrists and caught the Sith's lightsaber hilt as it came down. The young Knight then brought the two blades down so they were crossed at Dooku's throat.

Palpatine smiled coldly and then said, "Good Anakin, good. Kill him." Both Anakin and Dooku looked at him in shock. "Why?" Anakin asked. Dooku looked at him in hope, appealing to the Jedi's sense of honor. Palpatine frowned.

"He's too dangerous to be left alive Anakin, he needs to die now" he said. Dooku locked his eyes on Anakin's silently pleading with the younger man to not do it. Anakin looked between him and the Chancellor and didn't like the look in the Republic leader's eyes.

Lowering the blades slightly he said, "No. It's not the Jedi way Chancellor, I won't take the life of an unarmed prisoner and he could give us valuable information on the Separatists."

"That's right" Harry said as he walked up behind Dooku. He raised his eyebrows as he saw Dooku's hands on the floor and Anakin shrugged in response. Harry reached inside his belt pouch and withdrew a shrunken pair of Force nullifier cuffs. He enlarged them again and swiftly bound Dooku's arms behind his back, casting swift pain relief charms on the man's severed human wrist. He normally wouldn't do that but he didn't want his prisoner suffering more than he had to. He looked between Palpatine and Anakin, before saying, "Shall we go then?"

The small group was heading down the corridor towards the hangar bay when Harry's danger sense kicked in. He stopped abruptly, found a reasonably heavy piece of debris lying around and tossed it a few feet in front of them. Immediately ray shields snapped into place round the debris and a host of droids came out of the doorways nearby. Harry quickly disillusioned his group and they waited while the droids looked round.

"What do we do now?" Anakin signaled, in the abbreviated form of sign language that he and Harry used for communication when talking was a bad idea.

"Either go round them or through them, we have to get to the hangar bay."

Anakin nodded and they drew the droids' attention by causing a commotion further down while remaining invisible in their positions. As soon as the droids had moved down the corridor Harry acted. Swiftly and silently they made their way to the hangar bay, dodging droids and other security features along the way. Finally they made it to the hangar bay and Harry moved to check his ship.

"It's still flyable, just. Let's get on board and get out of here." Harry said while escorting the Chancellor on board. Anakin tapped his ship with a finger and said "Shrink" to it, while thanking James for installing automatic shrinking and enlarging charms on both his ship and on Harry's although the Marauder didn't really need them. With his ship in his pocket Anakin ran to the Marauder and got on board, just as Harry lifted the ramp. Palpatine strapped himself in securely as Anakin joined Harry at the controls, slipping into the co pilot's position easily. They lifted off and flew out the other side of the ship, through the shields, which permitted objects to go out but not come in. They got out just in time too as the ship was hit with a heavy blast of gunfire and exploded soon after.

"Hope Grievous died" Anakin muttered as they watched bits of the ship rain down on Coruscant. Harry shook his head. "I don't think he did Anakin, I saw the escape pods launch minutes before the explosion, and he'll have been on one of them for sure. He's not the type to have no escape plan if things go wrong."

Anakin nodded before looking uneasily towards the common area where their passenger was sitting. "I need to talk to you once we're back at the Temple. It concerns the fight with Dooku, and what our passenger said to me when I had Dooku at my mercy" he said in a low voice. Harry frowned, before replying, "Of course Anakin, once we've given our report to the Council come back home and we'll talk."

Anakin nodded in acceptance and the two relaxed, concentrating on flying the damaged ship back to the Temple, from where Palpatine would be picked up and transported back to the Senate, with a Jedi escort. It would not be them however, as they needed to report to the Council and get cleaned up after the mission. Once Palpatine was at the Temple, their job was done and it would be up to Jett and Syra, now both Jedi Knights themselves, to safely escort the Chancellor back to the Senate.

As Harry guided the Marauder down to the Jedi Temple landing platform and shook hands with Palpatine, accepting his gratitude for rescuing them, he couldn't help noticing the sharp stab of pain in his scar, nor could he shake the feeling that it might have been better if Palpatine hadn't been rescued at all. He immediately chastised himself, a Jedi was not supposed to think that way, but he couldn't help it. He got a very very bad feeling from the leader of the Republic and what Anakin had to tell him only made that bad feeling grow.

'And what's worse is that I don't have any solid proof to back up my suspicions!' he thought to himself later that night. 'All I have is theories and my scar reactions which won't stand up in a court of law, and the Jedi Council won't make a move without solid proof no matter whether they believe me or not.'

Alone in his office, Darth Sidious was also pacing round and round, thinking furiously. 'Skywalker was supposed to kill Tyranus for me thus leaving the way clear for him to be my apprentice! Damn that Potter, he's trained him even better than I thought. And now both of them are suspicious of me, how the hell am I supposed to turn the Chosen One now?' Sinking into his chair he snarled out "Damn you to the deepest levels of hell Potter!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Unexpected News and New Bonds**

Harry and Anakin were barely out of their debriefing session with the Council when their comlinks chimed simultaneously. Looking at each other they changed direction from the dining hall and headed off to Harry's apartment, where they found Ginny and Padme waiting for them. Padme had been coming to the Temple for visits with Ginny and James and Lily whenever she could as they were now part of her extended family.

Harry leaned against the door frame, with Anakin standing slightly in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to see us ladies" he commented, wondering what the significance of the look that the two women exchanged.

Now Anakin was looking highly curious and couldn't stay quiet. "What is it that you have to tell us Padme?"

Another look was exchanged between Ginny and Padme and then both stepped forward, looked up at their respective husbands and then they said as one, "We're pregnant."

Harry and Anakin, two of the best Jedi the Order had, looked at each other and then their eyes rolled back in their heads and they quietly fainted. Ginny looked at Harry, turned to Padme, who was looking at Anakin, and then said impishly, "I think we broke them."

Padme chuckled and nodded before asking, "Should we wake them up?" Ginny nodded and then quietly levitated a glass of water over top of the unconscious Harry before tipping it over, sending cold water over top of him. She then did the same with Anakin.

Harry was in the middle of the most wonderful dream; his Ginny had just told him he was going to be a father. He was rudely awakened when a splash of icy water woke him up. Coughing and spluttering he woke up and glared at the offender.

"Ginny! I was in the middle of a nice dream thank you very much. Now I'm all wet!"

Anakin was saying similar things to Padme, as they rose from the floor. "Uh Harry, how did we end up on the floor?" Anakin asked. Harry shrugged. "It could have something to do with that nice dream I was having about Ginny telling me I was going to be a father" he admitted.

Anakin blinked in shock before replying, "That was the same dream I was having."

As one, the two Jedi turned to fix their wives with piercing stares. Padme cracked first. "It wasn't a dream guys, the next generation of Potters and Skywalkers are on the way."

Jedi up and down the hall that Harry's apartment was on poked their heads out of their doors at the loud whoops coming from the Jedi Master's home. Obi-Wan, who had recently arrived back from the Outer Rim walked down the hall and banged on the door.

"What's going on in there?" he called out. Harry palmed the door open, pulled his brother through the door and hugged him hard saying with a goofy grin on his face, "Anakin and I are going to be fathers! Isn't it great!"

Obi-Wan disentangled himself and then said, "Yes Harry, its good news however, most of the hall's occupants are complaining about the noise. Keep it down would you."

Harry stuck his head out the door and saw several annoyed looks being directed at him. Grinning sheepishly he called out, "Sorry about that, just got some very good news. We'll be quiet now."

With various grumbles the heads withdrew and Harry also withdrew as well, only to grab Ginny round the waist and kiss her senseless. He vaguely noticed Anakin doing the same with Padme. When the two couples disengaged from each other they collapsed on the couch.

"Wow, we're going to be fathers" Anakin said in wonder before looking worried. "Harry, how the hell am I going to cope, I know nothing about being a parent!" Harry chuckled sympathetically and then replied, "Just think of it like raising a Padawan Anakin, you'll have lots of help available should you and Padme need it."

Ginny then giggled and said, "Harry, shouldn't someone inform James and Lily that they're going to be grandparents?" At Harry's startled look she shook her head. "Really Harry they need to be told. I'll do it if you're too scared to."

"Who said I'm scared" Harry growled indignantly, before calling James on his comlink.

There was a brief period of silence after Harry made his announcement and then a loud cheer sounded through the tiny device. Harry winced and muttered, "Calm down Dad, you almost deafened me there. Yes we're all very happy, now please just calm down."

James lost no time in informing Lily who promptly arrived at Harry's door demanding to check on her colleague. Upon hearing that Padme was also expecting she included her in the checkup. It was into this organized chaos that Mace walked to deliver a message for Harry.

"Er, what's going on here" the Jedi Councillor asked. Harry grinned at him and said, "Anakin and I are going to be fathers. Great news isn't it."

Mace groaned. "Yes Harry it is but we need to tell the Temple maintenance crew to Potter and Skywalker-proof the Temple otherwise it'll fall down round our ears in a few years."

Harry gave him a dirty look before seeing the serious expression on his former Master's face. "What is it Mace? What's wrong?"

Mace sighed. "You know we started interrogating Dooku yes? Well, he suddenly collapsed and started screaming. It wasn't anything we did to him I assure you. The room felt filled with Darkness for a brief time and then Dooku sort of withered and dried up, as if his life force was sucked out of him. He's dead now; it was very quick and very sudden."

Harry sat down with a growl. "How much information did you get out of him before he died?"

"Not much at all, only that his master was Darth Sidious. Any other name for the guy he either didn't know or wasn't willing to tell us."

"Hmm, well, there's not much we can do now. Did you discuss what Anakin told me about Chancellor Palpatine?"

Mace frowned. "Yes Harry we did but we can't do anything without proof. I admit things look suspicious but we can't say anything while the galaxy's in its current state. Also, we're supposed to back up the Senate, and it wouldn't look good if we accuse its leader of treason without solid evidence to back it up."

Harry sighed. "I knew you'd say that but I had to try. Very well, what do you want us to do?"

"Attend the briefing on the Outer Rim sieges, then your time is yours, you and Anakin are on leave for the next 2 weeks. You both need the break."

"Thanks Mace. We'll do that. Might I suggest you also take some leave, you look terrible" Harry replied with a grin, ducking the good natured swat that Mace aimed at his head before the Councillor left.

Harry and Anakin sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet time with their family before Harry rose and stretched. "Come on Anakin, let's get to that briefing, then we can have all the relaxation time with Ginny and Padme that we need. We can start thinking of names, and other such baby related stuff."

Laughing, Anakin joined him and they walked out, leaving their wives to look at each other half content and half concerned.

A week later Obi-Wan joined Harry and Anakin at the balcony in one of the practice rooms, as Harry wanted to watch the initiates sparring for a few minutes. Despite the war going on Harry had been asked if he would consider taking another Padawan, so he spent much of his vacation time at the Temple watching the Initiates and listening to the Force, letting it guide him to his apprentice the way it had with Anakin. So far he'd narrowed it down to the group currently in the room, and Harry extended his senses, letting the Force guide him. He felt nothing for a few moments and then, right before he was about to give up he felt the telltale connection with one initiate.

His head snapped round to see a boy that looked to be around 11 or 12 get up off the floor, and bow to his opponent. He searched his memory before he remembered that the boy's name was Damien Kyral.

He watched, interested as the two initiates squared off again and began to spar. His eyes tracked every movement, noting both the good points and the areas which needed work. After about 10 minutes his potential Padawan lost yet again and Harry absently noted that he was good on offense but left his left side almost completely open on defense. That was something that could be corrected with time and training though, so it wasn't a major issue.

"See someone you like Harry?" Anakin asked, intrigued. He'd seen where Harry's interest lay early on although he himself had scanned the room and looked at the others as well, not feeling any real connection the way Harry had. Anakin didn't feel ready to take a Padawan yet, but there was no harm in him looking at the initiates anyway, in case he did feel ready sometime in the future.

"Yeah I did" Harry responded absently. "I think I'll go down and talk to him, find out a bit more about him. I'll see you later." He walked off, almost falling down the stairs as he was concentrating on remembering all the information he'd gathered about Damien and not on where he was going. Scowling good naturedly at his friends, who were laughing at his near accident, he righted himself and continued on his way.

Once he'd reached ground level he wandered into the training hall, where he spotted his quarry immediately. The boy was seated on one of the benches that ran round the sides of the massive room, and looked a bit dejected. Harry sat down next to him, and looked out over the hall.

After a few moments he spoke, "Why so glum? I was watching just now, you weren't that bad." The boy looked up, startled, and then his eyes got almost impossibly round at seeing who had addressed him. Harry and Anakin were living legends in the Jedi Order, as much as they didn't like that label, and the initiates were somewhat in awe of them, even though they knew that neither Harry nor Anakin would bite if they wanted to ask questions.

Studying the floor, Damien replied, "I lost every match. The others are saying that I'll never be chosen as a Padawan because I suck at defence, and that I'd just get my master killed if I was chosen."

Harry frowned. "Who told you that?" he enquired. The boy shook his head. "The leader of the group got chosen last week and he's out on assignment now. His friends are in a higher class so they're not here at the moment. I just stay out of their way mostly."

"Hmm. OK. Do you have somewhere to be at the moment?" Harry enquired. He wanted to find out more about the kid, and what better way than by spending time with him. The kid in question looked up and replied, "No Master Potter I don't. Why?"

Harry stood and held out a hand. "How about you get out of those practice clothes and into a fresh uniform and then join me in the gardens. I'd like to talk with you."

Harry chuckled at the speed with which the boy moved. He then became aware of a presence at his side. Turning to face the unknown presence he smiled. "Master Ryoth, I didn't see you there. Is there something you wanted?"

Master Ryoth was the training master for the initiates. He had seen Harry watching from up above and had quietly observed his conversation before making himself known. He had sensed the connection between the two, and thoroughly approved. Now, how to gently nudge Harry into making the offer…

"Yes I do. You're interested in Damien?"

" I am. Is there any reason why he wasn't chosen before this? All the information I've assembled on this group tells me that he's a good candidate to be chosen."

Ryoth sighed. "Master Potter, Damien is a good candidate; the right Master just hadn't come along before now that's all. Do you know his age?"

"11?" Harry asked, unsure as to whether he was correct. He couldn't remember everything about all the initiates in the group, which was why he had the information stored on a datapad in his pocket.

Ryoth shook his head. "No, you're close though. He's twelve."

"Almost at the deadline then" Harry mused. He'd always felt the practice of rejecting children as candidates for Jedi Knighthood at the age of 13 was cruel even though he understood the reasoning. If an Initiate was not chosen as a Padawan by the age of 13 they were shipped off to one of the other areas of the Jedi Order, most ending up in the Agricorp, as farmers. Some went into other areas such as Healing, or Intelligence, but the hopes of most Initiates were to be a Jedi Knight. Thus, the 12 year olds were understandably doing their best to prove themselves to any Knights or Masters that were looking for a Padawan in an effort to stave off having to join the Agricorp.

Harry shook himself out of his musing as Damien returned, almost falling over in his effort to stop himself from crashing into Harry and Ryoth. He bowed briefly to both of them and then looked at Harry uncertainly.

"I'll take my leave" Ryoth said to Harry before turning to Damien. "Damien, you did well today. Not all success is measured by winning, remember that. Enjoy your afternoon."

Damien bowed again. "Thank you Master Ryoth, I will" he replied before turning to Harry. "Er, Master Potter, which way is the gardens from here? Which one were you thinking of going to?"

Harry smiled. "I was thinking of taking a wander through the Temple, to the waterfall room. I find that room peaceful and relaxing don't you?"

Damien stuttered a bit, still not quite believing that he was walking beside one of the most famous Jedi in the Order and having a conversation on the soothing effects of waterfalls of all things. "Er, sometimes Master Potter. I like diving off the top into the pool at the bottom but you have to be careful of the rocks."

Harry nodded. "Yes you do. How about a little detour first?"

Damien shrugged, not knowing where they were headed but willing to trust that Harry wouldn't let him get hurt. He'd seen his dreams of being a Knight slowly slip away with each birthday and now, at 12 he had begun to resign himself to never achieving his dream, but in his heart he'd wished that he could be Harry Potter's apprentice. Mind you, the competition for that spot was fierce but Harry had so far not chosen anyone.

Harry looked down at his largely silent companion. He chuckled inwardly as Damien's shields slipped and the last thought, about him being Harry's Padawan came through.

'Little does he know that in a few days his dream will come true' Harry thought. While they'd been walking, he'd downloaded Damien's most recent class files to his datapad and read them, pleased with what he saw. Damien seemed to be hardworking, ambitious, brave and a bit mischievous when he wanted to be. That was not a bad thing in Harry's opinion, and he smiled as they reached the destination he had in mind.

"Master Potter? We're on a balcony" Damien said, puzzled. Harry turned and knelt in front of him so his eyes were level with Damien's. "I know. We're here for a specific purpose. What is this balcony overlooking?"

Damien moved forward to see what was in front of him. "The garden, and the waterfall" he replied. Harry nodded at him, adding a smile to see what effect it got. Damien brightened instantly, pleased at having got the answer right.

"Good. Now, Damien, do you like to fly?"

His answer was an enthusiastic "Yes."

Harry grinned. "OK then, get ready for the ride of your life. I'm going to transform into my Animagus form, which is a huge griffin. Then, you're going to climb on my back and we're going to fly down to the ground."

Damien's eyes were now as wide as dinner plates. He'd seen Harry's griffin form before, the Jedi Master had given a talk on some of the animals native to his homeworld and had shown them his form, but had declined to take any of them for a fly given that at the time he'd been recovering from an injury and could only transform from human to griffin and back again. Harry hadn't done any flying himself that day either.

"OK Master Potter. Um, won't I hurt you?" Harry shook his head. "No Damien you won't. When I transform, I'll lie down and you get on my back, with your legs in front of my wings, and sit in the space between them. Then just hang on and I'll do the rest."

Damien nodded excitedly. "OK sir" he said, before stepping back as Harry transformed and lay down. With a bit of awkwardness the Jedi Initiate got on and settled in position. Once his passenger was secure, Goldshadow stood and took off. Damien yelled with shock initially but then enjoyed the ride. The griffin circled the waterfall, skimmed the pool and then flew low to the ground, finally stopping and rolling so Damien fell into the soft grass. Harry then felt Damien touch his wing, and stood still for it, allowing the 12 year old to examine the feathers, and the fur on his body. When he transformed back Damien fell backwards in surprise.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, concerned that Damien might have hurt himself in the abrupt fall. His concern was negated when Damien shook his head.

"That was brilliant Master Potter. Wow, that, I can't describe it properly. Thanks."

Harry chuckled and then dropped to the ground, folding himself so he landed crosslegged. "That's OK Damien; I was hoping you'd like it. So, what do you normally do in your spare time?"

Damien shrugged. "Not much. I like to practice lightsaber techniques, with a stick instead of my lightsaber, and read, and draw. I like swimming too, but the pool's a bit cold at present."

Looking up, Damien asked a question of his own, as he started to be more comfortable around the Master who had taken an interest in him. Secretly he hoped that interest would turn into what he dreamed of but he kept a firm lid on that, not wanting to be disappointed if it didn't.

"Um, what do you do in your spare time Sir?" he asked. Harry reclined on the grass, folding his arms above his head, and looking at the clouds. "Not much. Spend time with my wife, my family, and my friends. Annoy Master Windu and the Council by interrupting meetings in my griffin form. I once reached through an open window and yanked Master Yoda out of the Council Chamber with one paw and flew him round the top of the tower twice before returning him to his chair and leaving before they could react."

Damien gasped; he couldn't imagine someone doing that to Master Yoda. "Did they retaliate?" he asked, keen to hear more. Harry laughed, and replied, "Yeah they did. I was put to work helping in maintenance for a week, starting my repairs with the Council chair that I accidentally scratched when I went fishing for Master Yoda."

Damien rolled round on the grass in tears of laughter. Harry wasn't too far behind, as he remembered the look on Yoda's face and the howls of "PUT ME DOWN YOU WILL!" and the yells of "NOT HERE, BACK IN MY CHAIR!" when he'd playfully dangled the Jedi Master from the top of the tower in response to the first command.

Shaking his head Harry sat up to twist a kink out of his back before lying back down again. Damien rolled on his side and asked, "I thought that Jedi weren't allowed romantic attachments Master, and yet you said you have a family. How is that possible?"

Harry grinned. "Want to meet them?" he enquired. At Damien's nod, he rose and extended a hand to pull the Initiate from his sprawling position on the ground. As they walked to Harry's apartment he explained the reasons why he was allowed a family.

"So Jedi who swear on the Old Code get to have families" Damien was saying, as they arrived at Harry's door. Harry nodded, extended his senses to see if anyone was home, and walked in.

Damien followed and Harry left the door open so he could leave if he needed to. Inside were James, Lily and Ginny, as Padme had left to have some alone time with Anakin. Damien was shocked to learn that two of the nicest Healers in the infirmary were Harry's mother and wife respectively and the security guard at the front door was Harry's father. The three Potters welcomed him immediately and Ginny was soon debating with Damien over the necessity of having yearly booster shots. Lily entered the debate soon after and when they turned to Harry, he held up his hands.

"Whoa guys, I'm not getting involved in this. I've spent far too much time under your care to like the infirmary anyway, even if I love you two."

James shook his head and engaged Damien in a conversation about security gadgets and what was going on in the galaxy. Even though Damien hadn't been outside the Temple very much he still knew about the war and how it affected them and was able to discuss it seriously. Harry just sat back and thought 'another couple of days and I'll be able to ask him. I won't now, as I think he's approaching overload but maybe tomorrow or the day after. Let him get comfortable with me first, and then ask the question. I'm fairly certain he'll say yes but I want to be sure. He's comfortable with Mum and Dad and Ginny which is good.'

Around dinner time Harry extended an invitation to Damien to sit with them while they had dinner in the cafeteria. Damien quietly stated that he was flattered but he'd like to eat with his friends. Harry nodded, and said that it wasn't a problem and for Damien to go and enjoy his meal. From the looks he kept getting from Damien's table throughout dinner it appeared as though their afternoon was now common knowledge among the Initiates. Harry chuckled as the Council members kept getting odd looks as well, especially Master Yoda.

Harry curled round Ginny that night in a manner reminiscent of Goldshadow, and smiled as his hand naturally fell to her stomach. Smiling softly he whispered, "Goodnight" to the unborn child, and then fell asleep. In the initiate dorms Damien also went to sleep, wondering if the brilliant afternoon he'd had would continue the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Worrying Missions and Realised Dreams**

A few days later, Harry walked into the initiates training hall to see Master Ryoth just finishing the training session. The initiates all hung their lightsabers on their belts and walked into the changing rooms to get changed into fresh uniforms. Harry watched as Damien went with his year mates, seeing the slightly slumped shoulders as he walked.

Harry knew the reason, it was now only a few days until Damien's 13th birthday and the boy was probably wondering if he'd ever be chosen. Smirking, Harry pushed that thought aside, he intended to make sure that Damien achieved his dream of being a Jedi Knight. Walking over to Ryoth he kept an eye out for when Damien reappeared.

"Do you intend to take him as your Padawan then Harry?" Ryoth asked. There was no need to specify who he was talking about, both of them knew it was Damien. Harry nodded. "Yes I do. I just hope he accepts" he said. He was startled when Ryoth laughed.

"Harry I think that you're more in danger of Damien hugging you to death than him rejecting you. Have you truly no idea of what the initiates think of you and Knight Skywalker? Most of them would quite happily be either yours or Anakin's apprentice and I'm fairly certain that most of them will be dealing with a fair amount of conflicting feelings later on today, when word filters down that you've chosen Damien. They'll be happy for him of course, but also jealous that he got you and they didn't."

Harry chuckled. "I suppose so. Now, can you help me with one last thing?" Ryoth nodded curiously before laughing as Harry said "How the hell do I actually ask him?"

"It's different for every Master. Some just ask straight out, some hide the question in a sentence and wait for the initiate to figure it out. If you're still worried then might I suggest going to a familiar location and then asking him. Maybe the waterfall garden room?"

Harry nodded. "Thank you Master. I'll do that. Here he comes now."

Ryoth chuckled as he watched Harry walk over to the group of initiates and speak quietly with Damien. Damien then followed Harry out of the room, and Ryoth wished he could be a fly on the wall so to speak when Harry asked the all important question. He felt certain that the result would be amusing.

Damien followed Harry to the garden where he'd first started to get to know the quiet Jedi Master. He'd seen the man watching him over the weeks but hadn't really talked to him all that much beyond that except for the last few days. He was sad at the thought that in a few days time he might not ever see Harry again.

When the two reached the garden Harry gestured for Damien to sit and then did so himself. He looked round the garden for a minute before turning his attention to the initiate sitting opposite him.

"Do you want to be a Jedi Knight Damien?" he asked quietly. Damien looked up, startled at the question. Then his heart began to beat faster as he sensed where this might be leading.

"Yes Master Potter I do" he said, reining in the excitement and hope that bubbled up inside him. Harry smiled slightly at him and then reached forward and lightly tugged the lock of hair right behind Damien's right ear.

"In that case, Initiate Kyral, I would honored to have you as my Padawan Learner" he said, before sitting back and waiting to see how long it took Damien to figure out what Harry had just asked him.

It didn't take long. Eyes wide Damien squeaked out, "You want ME as your Padawan?"

Harry nodded with a smile and then Ryoth's prediction came true as Harry found himself flat on his back with an armful of excited Jedi Initiate who seemed intent on hugging the stuffing out of him.

"Thank you thank you thank you" Damien repeated over and over. Harry laughed and detached his new Padawan from his ribcage before sitting up.

"I'll take that as a yes then?" he asked with a smile. Damien nodded with a wide smile before he remembered how he should act and hastily corrected himself.

"Yes Master Potter I would be honored to be your apprentice" he said formally before breaking out in a grin again. Harry smiled. "You don't need to be so formal with me Padawan, only when we're around other Masters or Knights do you need to be formal. When it's just me, or around family, you are allowed to call me by my name if you wish to. I won't force you to call me Harry if you're not comfortable with that, just know that I won't be offended if you do when we're either alone or with family OK?"

Damien nodded. "OK Master. What do we need to do now?"

Harry smiled. "Well, I anticipated your acceptance so I scheduled a meeting with the Council so we could get this confirmed. Once we've done that, we'll see about moving house for you."

"Moving house Master?" Damien asked, puzzled, as he walked slightly behind and to the side of Harry as they made their way towards the council chamber. Harry smiled. "Well, you can't live in the initiate dorms now that you're a Padawan now can you?"

Damien stopped and frowned. "Don't you live with Ginny Master? How am I going to fit in?"

Harry stopped as well and turned round. Bending slightly so he could look his new apprentice in the eyes, he said, "Ginny and I are married yes, but we have an agreement that should I take an apprentice then they would take priority. I don't mean that she will move out but that she would not stand in the way of your training, or all the other aspects of a Master/Padawan relationship."

Seeing that Damien looked uncertain still Harry gently squeezed his shoulders and smiled, "Think of it this way Damien, you won't have to go far for a Healer if you get injured during training. And Ginny has a mothering streak a mile wide. If you let her she will do her best to mother you, which I would advise letting her do."

Damien chuckled. "OK Master. I'll see how things go, I like her when she's not in Healer mode."

Harry laughed and then whispered conspiratorially, "Me too."

Chuckling, the new Master/Padawan team moved up to the council chamber and were admitted two minutes later. Five minutes afterwards, they exited, with Damien wearing a broad grin and having to keep from bouncing off the walls in excitement.

Harry smiled in contentment, before gently tapping Damien on the shoulder. When his apprentice turned to look at him he said, "We need to see about your new uniform and getting your hair cut into the proper style Padawan. Then we'll have lunch and after that we'll use the afternoon to get you settled in your new home with me OK."

"OK Master. Can we go now?"

Harry laughed. "Patience Padawan, we can't go running at lightspeed you know, the tailors will still be there when we get there."

Damien struggled to maintain a proper walking speed and staying in place behind and to the side of his master. Harry was deliberately keeping things to a slower pace, wanting to teach Damien that while being excited at his change in status was acceptable, running in the halls and generally creating a lot of noise because of it was not. After about 15 minutes they reached the tailors, and Damien had calmed down from his initial burst of adrenaline from being chosen as a Padawan and was having less trouble keeping control of himself.

Harry nodded in approval as the tailor measured Damien for the new uniform and then said, "Well done Padawan, you handled that well."

Damien smiled at Harry, pleased that his new master wasn't annoyed at him. Now that he was calm, he recognized why Harry had set a slow pace to the tailors and grinned, pleased to have passed the test as it were. Even though it wasn't a test, he was pleased that Harry was pleased.

In the spirit of this he stood still while being measured, even though he wanted to fidget with impatience, which earned another small smile from Harry as he acknowledged the self control his apprentice was exhibiting. Finally the measuring was finished and Damien was presented with a Padawan uniform to wear out of the tailors while his old initiate uniform was taken away to be washed and recycled again.

Damien followed behind Harry as they headed to their home, where Harry intended to cut Damien's hair into the proper style, and show him round a bit before he moved in that afternoon. The haircut didn't take long and Damien was soon fiddling with the end of a brand new braid, which reached halfway to his shoulder. Then the Padawan explored the apartment, learning the locations of his room, Harry's room, the fresher, the lounge, kitchen, and balcony. After he'd finished his exploration he came back in from the balcony to see his master talking quietly with Ginny.

Ginny turned to see Harry's new apprentice approaching her uncertainly. She held out her hand with a smile. "Damien, it's so good that Harry picked you. I guess we'll be room mates for the next few years."

Damien nodded uncertainly. "Yes Healer Ginny we will be. You don't mind?" Ginny shook her head. "Damien, as Harry's Padawan you're like family to me, and family members don't use my title. Please, call me Ginny."

Damien looked to Harry uncertainly, and was encouraged when he saw Harry nodding at him. "Do as she asks Damien, it's not really safe to do otherwise."

Damien looked between him and Ginny in mild alarm, only to relax when Ginny whacked Harry on the shoulder and said, "Stop scaring him Harry, that's mean."

Turning back to Damien she smiled. "I'm not going to come between you and Harry Damien. I understand that he has to put you first and I don't resent that OK. Besides, Harry views his Padawans as family and his family is growing all the time. Have you met Anakin yet?"

"Knight Skywalker? Yes Ginny I have" Damien replied, stumbling only slightly over Ginny's name. He shifted a bit when he felt pressure on his shoulders and looked to the side, where he saw Harry and realized that his master had put an arm round his shoulders.

"Well, he's Harry's former Padawan, and in Jedi terms that makes him your big brother" Ginny said happily. Damien frowned and looked up at Harry, who nodded in confirmation.

"Yep, you're currently the youngest member of the family Damien. Welcome to it by the way. We're a bit crazy at times but we're all sane."

Damien giggled and then blushed as his stomach rumbled. Harry chuckled and steered Damien towards the door. "Go and eat Padawan, Ginny and I will be along in a moment. Don't forget, after lunch we start moving you in here for real."

Directing a bright smile towards his master, Damien bounded out the door and off to the dining hall, wanting to tell his friends the good news, first that he had been chosen as a Padawan and second who his master was.

Meanwhile Harry and Ginny had followed at a more sedate pace. Ginny was silent for a few minutes before asking, "Do you think Damien will be OK with this Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "Give him time Ginny; it's only been a few hours. Let him settle in and get used to the situation. He's fairly adaptable so I'm not overly concerned."

Ginny nodded and then smiled when she felt Harry gently squeeze her shoulders in silent support. They entered the cafeteria and had an enjoyable lunch, followed by an amusing afternoon as she, Harry and Damien helped to move Damien's possessions into his room in his new home. Once they were all finished it was dinner time and they decided to eat in, and invited James, Lily, Anakin, Mace and Obi-Wan as well so Damien could spend more time with James and Lily, and Anakin, as well as meet Mace and Obi-Wan outside of the Council. Obi-Wan had been put on the Council as he was now a Jedi Master too. The position would have gone to Harry had he not vehemently, but politely, refused the position.

After an initial bout of shyness, Damien became bolder as he realized that the Knights and Masters at the table wouldn't bite his head off if he ventured a question, and he even dared to make a small joke after observing the reactions when Harry had done the same.

A week later, the now 13 year old Damien came home from classes to hear a heated argument going on in the common area. Walking in he saw Harry and Anakin arguing over something, and wisely decided not to draw attention to himself. Harry acknowledged his arrival and broke off the argument by saying, "We'll discuss this later Anakin, will you be available tonight?" Receiving a curt nod from the Knight he nodded as well. "I'll see you then" he said and then watched as Anakin walked out, the swirl of his cloak telling Harry that Anakin was highly agitated and annoyed about the topic at hand.

"Master? What was that about?" Damien asked. Harry looked at him and then smiled tiredly. "Anakin and I were arguing about the mission the Council has just assigned him. Neither of us likes what he's going to have to do but we don't have much choice in the matter."

"But everything's going to be OK though?" Damien pressed. Harry nodded and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Yes Padawan, everything will be fine. I'm sorry you had to see that, I thought we'd be finished before you got home. How were classes?"

Damien made a face. "Ethics was boring as usual and I almost blew up the Chemistry lab by accident. Apart from that it was a normal day."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Almost blew up the Chemistry lab Padawan? How did you manage that?"

Damien shrugged sheepishly and said, "I added a little too much of the reagents when my partner knocked my arm while I was pouring. Fortunately it didn't do too much damage."

Harry chuckled. "Yes. Do you have homework to do?"

"Yes, not much though. I was wondering if I could go visit my friends after I've done my homework."

"If your friends are allowed to have you over then I don't object, as long as you've finished your homework first."

Damien nodded, before he raced to put his bag away and then moved to help with dinner. Harry had begun teaching him to cook and while he wouldn't trust Damien alone in the kitchen, he let the apprentice do as much as he could on his own. Damien was learning fast and soon dinner was ready and edible as well.

After dinner, Harry sat in the common room while Damien worked on his homework, available for questions if Damien needed help. For the following 2 hours there was silence, punctuated by the occasional question from Damien, and then a small sigh as the homework was finished.

"OK Master I'm all done" he announced as he wandered into the common area. Harry looked up at the time and then smiled. "If your friends are still awake then you may visit with them Damien. Be back by 10 at the latest, you need a good night's sleep."

"Yes Master" Damien responded before racing out the door. Harry shook his head and smiled at the seemingly endless energy his apprentice had before he moved over to the comm. unit.

"Anakin" he said, placing a call to the Knight's apartment. A few minutes after ending the call, Anakin arrived at the door. Letting himself in he sat down opposite Harry and sighed.

"I'm sorry about earlier Harry, but I'm nervous and worried about this. The Council want me to spy on the Chancellor, but isn't that an act of treason?"

Harry shook his head. "The rules of war are different Anakin, in this case it's information gathering. You know why the Jedi Council wants information on him, don't you?"

Anakin nodded with a defeated sigh. "Yes Harry I do. It's just that even after all the evidence that something's not quite right, I just can't seem to bring myself to believe that he's a bad man. I know your scar reactions, and what he said to me about Dooku seems to point that way but still. It's a hard thing to believe."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I know Anakin. Believe me, I don't want to think the worst of him either but think of it this way, the information you bring us will help us decide the issue once and for all."

Anakin nodded unhappily and then looked up. "I'll do it Harry, I just don't like it."

"No one is asking you to like it Anakin. If I could do so, I'd do it myself however, he's suspicious of me, and he has always been interested in you. If he thinks that he can sway you to his side he will hopefully let information slip that we need. Just please, don't be tempted."

Now Anakin gave Harry an offended look. "I won't give in to the Dark Harry, you know that. I won't be tempted. Trust me."

Harry gave him a sharp look. "I do trust you Anakin; it's Palpatine I don't trust. And the Dark isn't always easy to see, people have gone Dark in an attempt to protect their families for example. It was a classic recruitment trick that Voldemort used on Earth, the old join me and your families will be spared thing. Don't give in to it."

"I won't Harry. Don't worry so much."

Harry watched Anakin leave with a worried frown on his face. He couldn't help but think that things were going to go downhill very rapidly very soon and that having Anakin close to the Chancellor was a bad idea.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Mishaps and Mysteries**

Harry was not in a good mood. He paced up and down outside the infirmary, periodically starting towards the door leading to the room where his Padawan lay unconscious, only to be warned off by the combined glares of Lily, Ginny and the other Healers working on Damien. He swung round, and sat down on the chair dropping his head in his hands and wondered where everything had gone so wrong.

Things had started off well enough. He and Damien had had breakfast and then gone to the training salle to practice the 14th kata, which Damien had been eager to learn. The 14th kata was one of several that had to be taught in stages and then combined once each stage had been mastered. Damien had already learnt the first stage and Harry was going to start him on the second stage.

They warmed up and then progressed through the first stage, Damien moving swiftly and easily through the familiar movements, his blade sweeping the air in precise firm blocks and attacks, his footwork sure and steady. The trouble came when Harry called a halt.

"Master, I know the second stage, watch" Damien had called out. Harry had stopped and watched in shock as Damien had started the second stage, a stage which he hadn't taught him yet. Wondering who had taught him, Harry nonetheless kept a close eye on his Padawan as he continued.

Damien was almost finished when the accident happened. He had leapt towards a beam, and slipped on landing, his body arcing backwards and falling headlong towards the floor. Harry had reached out with the Force, gathering it round his apprentice and attempting to slow him down. He couldn't completely stop Damien's fall, as he was falling too fast and was then too close to the floor to stop him completely so Harry did the next best thing. He got under Damien and broke his fall with his own body.

Damien and Harry landed on the floor in a painful tangle of limbs and Harry heard the sickening CRACK of breaking bone, followed by pained whimpering from Damien. Harry shook himself to get rid of the dazed feeling and quickly performed a scan on his body using the Force. Finding nothing but bruises he turned his attention to Damien.

The Padawan was lying half on top of Harry and half on the floor. His breathing was shallow and strained, and he was shivering with cold. Recognising the symptoms of shock Harry eased himself out from under Damien and swiftly checked his apprentice with the Force. What he found had him calling the emergency number for the Healers on his comlink.

Damien was rushed from the training salle to the infirmary in record time. He had sustained a cracked collarbone, several bruised ribs, a broken arm and a concussion. The cause for the emergency was the fact that the collarbone pieces were dangerously near Damien's carotid artery and he was in too much shock to safely go into a healing trance on his own in order to help. Harry could only follow behind the Healers and watch helplessly as his Padawan was surrounded by medical equipment designed to monitor him while the Healers worked.

He looked up as Anakin sat down next to him. The Knight looked troubled, and didn't speak for a few minutes as he tried to gather his thoughts. Finally he spoke.

"How is he?"

Harry sighed. "Stable, they're putting him in bacta now. What I want to know is who the hell taught him the second stage of the 14th kata. I didn't so who did?"

"Uh, that would be me. He came to me the other day while you were out providing security for Senator Organa at the Senate and asked me to show him the second stage. I asked him if you knew about this request and he said no but he really wanted to show you that he could do it. He wanted you to be proud of him."

Harry groaned. "Doesn't he know that I'm proud of him already? I only tell him so a few dozen times a day. What brought this on?"

Anakin looked sideways at his former master. "Apparently there was an altercation between Damien and a group of other Padawans. There were words exchanged. I saw the altercation but didn't hear what was said. It was a few hours later that he came to me with his request. He didn't know that I saw what happened."

Harry nodded, looking thoughtful. He was about to speak when Anakin started again. "I thought you told him that the 14th was to be taught in stages, and that he should wait for you to teach him each one."

"I've explained that to him yes, but he's so focused on proving himself worthy of me that he sometimes likes to run before he can walk so to speak" Harry said quietly. Anakin looked startled.

"Why would he think he's unworthy of you, he's one of the best in his age group and we all know it."

"Yes but you know how Padawans can be Anakin, and my reputation probably doesn't help in that area. The fact that he was chosen just a few days before his 13th birthday doesn't help either. That group you saw harassing him are probably the same ones who have been taunting him about me taking him on out of pity. While I and their masters have talked to them about it, it doesn't make Damien feel better unfortunately."

Anakin nodded. "I'm sorry he got injured Harry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

Harry sighed. "I know Anakin. I can still see it though, as if in slow motion. He fell, almost headfirst towards me. I tried slowing him down, but he was going too fast. He landed on top of me. His arm went out to break our fall as mine did and his arm snapped, the shockwave of that must have gone up his arm and cracked his collarbone. Then," Harry swallowed and cast a look towards the infirmary door, "then he went sideways as I went down, and I heard another crack as we landed. That must have been his ribs, and his head, it sort of, well, bounced off the surface. Then we just lay there for a few seconds until I started checking our condition.

Anakin shuddered before saying, "I'm sure he'll be OK Harry, he's just as stubborn as you are. I imagine he won't go trying anymore stunts like that though.

Harry grinned. "I know Anakin and I'd imagine that Damien won't be eager to repeat this experience either. I'll go and see him when he wakes up."

Anakin nodded and then rose from the chair preparing to leave. As he reached the door that led out to the hall he paused and said, "Can we talk later, I need to discuss something regarding my Senate mission with you."

"OK Anakin. I've been meaning to ask you what's going on there anyway. Let me make sure that Damien's going to recover and then we'll talk."

"OK Harry, I'll see you later. When the idiot wakes up, tell him to be more careful would you. I don't like my little brother being in hospital much."

Harry grinned. "I certainly will. Go and see Padme, I know you want to. She's in her Senatorial quarters; she apparently had a late meeting today."

Anakin and Harry parted ways, Anakin to go and see his wife, while Harry waited for a few hours so he could check on the well-being of his apprentice. When he finally walked towards the door again, Lily took one look at him and smiled.

"He woke up a few minutes ago Harry. He's fine, apart from being embarrassed, and rather worried about your reaction to his injuries." She stopped and looked at him closely for a moment before continuing, "If you have any thoughts of yelling at him then don't, he's been punished enough I think. A broken arm, bruised ribs, a cracked collarbone and a concussion would be enough punishment for anyone don't you think?"

Harry gave his mother a cold look and Lily took a step back, suddenly thinking that she might have overstepped her boundaries. Harry then smirked and replied, "I wasn't planning on it Mum, I do know what I'm doing when it comes to Damien. I don't know why people insist on thinking the worst of me when it comes to situations like this. I mean, honestly. Padawan homicide is frowned upon here you know."

Lily chuckled and stepped out of Harry's way. "OK then. Go on in. He'll be pleased to see you, if a little apprehensive."

Harry smirked as he sat down beside the bed that Damien was lying in. The thirteen and a half year old looked half pleased and half worried. Harry reached out and tugged his braid gently, running it through his fingers before releasing it.

"So, how are you feeling this evening" he asked seriously. Damien shrugged as well as he could and replied, "Not bad. I wish I could be back home though, I mean, I can rest there as well as here."

"Maybe. Of course the psychological impact of having to recover in here is greater incentive to keep yourself in one piece and not go trying things that you've only had one lesson on" was Harry's neutral response.

Damien's face fell. "I'm sorry Master, it's just that, well, I'd been practicing on my own, the second stage I mean, and I thought I had it, I really did. Then I messed up the last part and the next thing I remember is waking up here."

Harry chuckled. "That's why I told you to wait for me to go through each stage with you and make sure you have it correct before even trying to combine them." Seeing that Damien looked crestfallen at the failure, he smiled and said softly, "Now you've learnt the reason why I told you to wait, how about I cheer you up a bit."

Damien looked startled. "Er, aren't you mad at me Master?" Harry shook his head. "No. I was annoyed at first but I think you've been punished enough. However, I do want to talk about why you felt you needed to try and impress me like this, and why you continue to hold yourself to impossible standards in pursuit of it."

Damien now looked highly uncomfortable. "Can we talk about this when we're at home Master?" he asked. Harry's answer was to draw his wand and cast a privacy bubble round the bed so no one could hear their conversation.

"No one can hear us now, there's no need to worry about privacy. So, come on. Answer the question."

"It was Leroy again Master. Him and his friends. I know you told me to ignore them and I have been but a few days ago, they backed me into a corner and kept telling me that you'd get rid of me if I didn't show you I could do at least the second stage of the 14th properly. I told him that I was going to wait for you to show me the proper way to do it but he laughed at me and said that you didn't want a Padawan who was so dependent on you; you wanted one could take the initiative and do things himself. He said that you only took me out of pity and that was why you only chose me a few days before I turned 13. I knew that that wasn't true but it still hurt. I, well, I decided to try it anyway."

Harry pulled Damien into a hug, mindful of his Padawan's injuries and held him while Damien calmed down. Inside, he was seething, Leroy had been tormenting Damien for months and Harry vowed that it was going to stop, even if Harry had to involve the Council over it.

"Padawan" he started his tone gentle but firm. "You are only thirteen. I wouldn't expect you to master the 14th kata for another few months at least. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and you're at the top or near the top of all your classes. I couldn't ask for more really. The 14th kata is one of only a few katas that need to be taught in stages, and everyone learns them at different speeds."

Damien nodded while leaning against Harry's shoulder, absorbing the strength that seemed to unconsciously flow from the older Jedi. He snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth and love that surrounded him, as he was feeling cold and a bit emotionally drained from what he'd gone through. He refocused his attention as Harry began talking again.

"As for what he said about me taking you out of pity and that being the reason why I chose you only a few days before your birthday, well, that's not true in the least. I felt a connection a few weeks ago but then I was sent on a mission to Alderaan. I was injured there and returned to spend a day or so in the infirmary here. When I was better I was asked to coordinate a security plan to protect Chancellor Palpatine and had no chance to follow up the connection I felt. Then the Chancellor was kidnapped and I had to go rescue him. Only after that was I given enough time to properly follow up on what I felt."

Looking Damien directly in the eyes, and using the type of look that made it impossible for the recipient to look away until Harry released them, he said emphatically, "If I had been able to, I would have found, and chosen you far sooner than I did. For that I'm sorry however I don't get a choice in what missions I take with this blasted war on. Understand?"

Damien nodded. "Yes Master I understand. Sorry about landing in here. I'll wait next time you tell me to, falling wasn't fun."

Harry laughed. "I can imagine not Damien. Have you had dinner yet?" Seeing Damien's negative head shake he nodded. "Right. I'll go to the kitchens and get us some real food and then we can just relax until you go to sleep."

Hearing Harry move towards the door of Damien's room Lily quickly moved away and back to her office. She had quietly been watching what happened in the room, not because she thought that Harry would harm Damien but because she hadn't had much chance to observe Harry's and Damien's relationship outside her official capacity other than the odd family dinners whenever Harry was available.

Harry and Damien had a nice dinner and Damien dropped off to sleep about 10 minutes later. Harry sat with him for 15 minutes, making sure that his Padawan was indeed asleep and safe, before he rose, brushed the hair off Damien's forehead and kissed it, and turned to leave. He had a certain group of Padawans to find and interrogate.

When Harry got back to his apartment after thoroughly scaring the crap out of the apprentices that had bullied Damien into thinking that he should try things he wasn't ready for in an attempt to impress Harry, he found Ginny and Anakin waiting for him.

"Hi love" Ginny said, kissing him as he hugged her before they sat down on the couch together. Harry smiled, even at 5 months pregnant; Ginny could always find time to raise his spirits no matter what she might be feeling at the time.

"Hey Gin, Anakin" he replied as he let his body go limp and be supported by the couch and also Ginny. Anakin chuckled and asked, "How's the idiot?"

"Fine and he's not an idiot" was the reply as Harry attempted to sit forward but fell back again. Ginny pushed him forward and got him properly positioned so he didn't fall back again, and then cuddled up to him.

"I know he's not Harry, but I heard you went on a Padawan hunt after talking to him. Are the other Padawans OK?"

Harry smirked. "They were fine when I left them, however their masters didn't look too happy. Damien will be fine in another couple of days. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Anakin frowned. "You know I've been with the Chancellor don't you" he asked. Seeing Harry's nod he continued, "Well, he's been saying things like the Council doesn't trust me and stuff like that. He's trying to make me believe that the Jedi want control of the Republic and other stuff. I haven't said anything besides defending the Order but he's really insistent. He seems to be planning on trying to gain emergency powers."

"Emergency powers? Why?" Ginny asked. Harry thought about it for a minute and then frowned. "Remember what happened my fifth year at Hogwarts Ginny? It would have been your fourth but still…"

Ginny thought before she gasped. "You think he'll pull an Umbridge?" she queried. Harry nodded. "I don't know for certain but he might well try."

"What are you talking about?" Anakin asked, confused. Harry and Ginny turned to face him and smiled grimly. "Umbridge was a Ministry person assigned to Hogwarts to keep the school in line with what the Ministry thought was right at the time. So she turned the school on its head, giving out all these Educational Decrees that eventually saw her elevated to the ultimate position of power in the school."

"So how did you deal with her?" Anakin asked. Harry smirked. "We started a school-wide rebellion Anakin. I don't know whether that would be feasible here as we don't yet know what Palpatine's plans are yet."

Anakin nodded. "So what do you suggest I do?"

"Have you reported to the Council yet?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes I have. They're worried about it and told me to talk to you, given that you're more likely to see what's really going on. Of course, Master Koth mentioned that you're more likely to see a conspiracy theory but still,"

Harry snorted. "They won't be saying that if what I suspect is true, is actually true" he muttered. Ginny gave him a worried look while Anakin looked both confused and then understanding dawned.

"You still think he's a Sith?" he asked. Harry shrugged. "If he isn't then something's seriously wrong with him otherwise as my scar hasn't reacted like this to anyone else other than Voldemort."

As Anakin stood to go, Harry caught his wrist and stood with him. Placing his hands on Anakin's shoulders he said, "I know I've said this before Anakin, but please, be very very careful around the Chancellor. Something's going on, something big and I don't know what it is but I'm worried. The Chancellor is very interested in you and I have no idea why but watch yourself round him. I don't trust him at all."

Anakin gave him a crooked grin and then replied, "I don't trust him either Master and I'll be careful. I just hope you're wrong about him because if you're not then we could all be in serious trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Sithly Seduction and Powers Gained**

Anakin was bored. Well, bored and more than a bit worried. Harry had done more than train him to be a Jedi, he had also managed to instill more than a little of his dislike for politicians, and Palpatine in particular, in Anakin, and that was now helping the Jedi Knight to figure out what was truth and what was fiction in the web that he vaguely sensed being spun around him.

The Chancellor didn't miss a single opportunity to praise Anakin's accomplishments, while at the same time degrading the Jedi Council for not elevating Anakin to the status of Jedi Master yet. Anakin's quiet statement that he wasn't ready didn't seem to have much effect on the Chancellor at all, and Anakin had learnt to stay quiet and fume in silence at the badmouthing of the Jedi Order. It was with difficulty that he pulled his attention back to what Palpatine was saying.

"As I was saying Anakin, I need to take steps to further ensure the safety of the Republic. I can only do that if the Senate backs me."

"What steps were you planning on taking sir?" Anakin asked, carefully masking his boredom. Palpatine looked at him and sighed. To Anakin it seemed somehow fake but he pushed that observation aside for later pondering.

"Well, I need to have greater authority over the clone army. At present the Senate votes on which areas most need them and then they get sent. It's a time consuming process and in war things must often be decided quickly."

"I don't see how you could have that authority though sir?" was Anakin's neutral comment. Palpatine smiled at him, humorlessly. "I have on occasions attempted to gain emergency powers which would give me the power to send the clones where they're needed without all the drama of votes in the Senate. Unfortunately though, the Loyalist committee, headed by your wife, continually block my attempts."

Looking sideways at Anakin Palpatine said slyly, "If I didn't know that Senator Amidala was so loyal to the Republic I would almost think that she wanted us to lose."

Anakin had to clamp down on a flare of anger at Palpatine's obvious attack on Padme, but said nothing beyond, "My wife is a firm believer in democracy sir, she thinks that if you are given emergency power then the situation could decline into more of a dictatorship than she's comfortable with. I don't believe her of course, but she does deserve to be given a fair hearing."

Now Anakin felt sick, he didn't disagree with Padme at all but his spying duties required him to tell these white lies in order to keep the Chancellor happy. Any information he gained went first to the Council and then to Harry. Finally he asked, "What would you do if you did have those emergency powers sir?"

Palpatine smiled at him, a genuine smile. "I'd end this war now, without letting it drag on so much. But enough of me, how is the Jedi Council treating you these days? Do they trust you?"

'Now why is he asking me that' Anakin thought, puzzled. Out loud he replied, "They trust me sir."

"Do they? You're not a Jedi Master despite having more than enough power and wisdom and they don't trust you with secrets of how the Force works" was the statement from the politician.

Anakin's alarm bells were starting to chime now, softly, in response. Frowning, Anakin said, "Excuse me sir but, how would you know that?"

"I have my ways. The Jedi Council has grown arrogant. They see you, the most powerful Jedi in the history of the Order, and they keep you downtrodden, because they're afraid of your power. Afraid of your future."

Looking away, Palpatine muttered, "Especially Potter!"

Now the alarm bells were ringing loudly. "Why don't you like my former Master?" Anakin asked, deciding to go fishing. Palpatine smirked. "He's never trusted me for some reason. I wanted to get to know you earlier in your life but he stood between us."

Anakin couldn't deny this fact and said so. "I know he doesn't trust you" he admitted. Palpatine smiled and then leaned towards Anakin. Since they were sitting in his private box at the opera, no one would listen in.

"Have you noticed that the Sith and the Jedi are very similar?" he queried. Anakin looked at him in shock. Now he was definitely getting uncomfortable.

"The Sith use passion for their strength. They only think of themselves" he replied, wondering how the Chancellor knew so much. Harry's theory about Palpatine seemed more and more likely with each meeting Anakin had with the man.

"And the Jedi don't?" Palpatine questioned before going on to say, "The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, the only real difference is their points of view."

"Points of view?" Anakin asked. Palpatine shrugged. "The Jedi think of themselves as "good" and the Sith as "evil". They believe that if there is no darkness then the light will stay strong forever. They're wrong though."

"How so?" Anakin asked, interested despite himself. He was recording the conversation, as he had all of them, for security and he wanted to know the answer.

"Because Anakin, the light only shines in contrast to the darkness. Without dark there can be no light. So destroying the Sith actually weakened them though they refuse to admit it."

"You're saying that if a Sith were to attack, the Jedi would be incapable of stopping him?" Anakin pressed, unsure as to why he was sensing danger from Palpatine but wanting as much information as the man was willing to give him.

"Most would die yes. Only a few would be strong enough to fight, those being Master Yoda, Master Windu, Master Potter and you."

Anakin shrugged. "Thank you Chancellor. However, I must disagree with your sentiments about the Jedi. They're doing a lot to help in the war."

"Yes, yes they are" was Palpatine's distracted response. Then he settled down to watch the opera, not talking anymore for the rest of the performance.

The next meeting that Anakin had with Palpatine was a week later and it was every bit as disturbing as the rest. It started with Anakin and Palpatine having a friendly debate over the war, and then got down to the serious stuff.

After a bit of small talk to lead into the subject, Palpatine said, "How is your wife Anakin, is she well?" Anakin shrugged, a bit confused at the question.

"She's fine sir, a bit tired every now and then but otherwise she's in good health." Palpatine smirked before saying, "Have you thought about what might happen when your child is born? It is a dangerous process after all. So many opportunities for things to go wrong."

"They won't because I have the Jedi healers looking after her at present, she'll be fine" Anakin ground out, annoyed that the Chancellor was trying to make him doubt that Padme would be OK. A niggling worry rose at the back of his mind, his recent nightmares/visions of Padme's death during childbirth which haunted him and wouldn't let him rest. Even after Harry had told him that he was experiencing the same things it didn't ease his worry. He had to wonder though, at the way that Palpatine was homing in so accurately on his fears. Tightening his shields he tuned back into what Palpatine was saying.

"Have you heard the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" he asked. Mutely Anakin shook his head. Smiling Palpatine continued, "I thought not. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith that was so powerful, and so knowledgeable with the Dark Side of the Force that he could save people from death. Imagine that power Anakin, the power to save your loved ones from death. Keeping them alive, and with you, forever."

Anakin was shocked. He had to get this information to the Council. He now had a pretty good idea of which side Palpatine was really on but he couldn't give up his mission now. Not when he needed more information. He discounted the idea of saving people from death, he knew that that was a load of crap, but he had to admit it was tempting, and if he hadn't been the Jedi he was he might have been tempted to try and learn it. As it was though, he just became even more wary of the Chancellor and more and more disgusted at the fact that he had to remain in the guy's company. Finally the meeting ended and Anakin was free to go back to the Temple. He needed a long shower, and to spend some time with Padme, and then with Harry, Ginny and Damien. He needed some company that wasn't trying to get him to sympathise with the Dark.

Harry was in the middle of teaching Damien the finer points of Force control when Anakin entered. Anakin just stood and watched for a moment, remembering when Harry had taught him the same thing, in almost the same manner. The point of the lesson was to gain greater control over the Force, and use it for more delicate tasks, such as opening locks for example. The game was that Harry was willingly tied up and Damien had to unlock the locks that held the chains closed before a timer went off.

If the timer went off, Harry would turn a lovely shade of blue or purple, or red, or green, depending on how close Damien had got to completely freeing him. Thus it was a game, with no real pressure involved and it was fun for both teacher and student. As Anakin watched, Damien was working on the last lock and just before it came undone, the timer went off. Damien groaned and then looked at his brilliantly green Master in frustration.

"I'll never get it" he groaned. Harry chuckled, dispelled the colour with a flick of his finger and then said, "Yes you will. You almost had it then, you were only a second away from having me completely free. Just keep doing it at odd intervals and you'll be fine."

Seeing Anakin standing in the doorway he continued, "I think that's enough practice for today, we apparently have a visitor. Damien spun in his seat and grinned at Anakin. Despite having to call him Knight Skywalker in public, in private the two really were like brothers. Anakin smirked and walked further forward, reaching out to ruffle Damien's hair.

"Don't worry about the exercise Damien, when I did it, Harry stayed purple for about a month. You've been working on it for what, two weeks? That's very good."

Damien grinned at the praise and then replied, "Yeah but I was so close. I'll get it next time."

"Of course you will. Now, have you been introduced to the time honored tradition of pranking one's master?"

Harry groaned and entered the conversation, saying, "Yes he has Anakin, kindly don't corrupt him any further. He's doing well enough on his own."

The two younger Jedi looked at Harry, then at each other, and laughed before Anakin flopped down onto the couch. Harry threw a pillow at him, which Anakin caught with the Force. Then they engaged in their favorite game, pillow tug of war, with the Force. Damien sat and watched as the pillow floated back and forth between the two and then smirked. Entering the game suddenly and unexpectedly, his Force pull, at right angles to the opposing forces at either end, won as the pillow shot towards him. Damien caught it cleanly and then giggled when he saw the shocked looks on Harry and Anakin's faces.

"I won" he said with a grin. Harry shook his head. "Sneaky thing aren't you. Well done. Unfortunately you shouldn't enter the game without knowing the rules."

"What rules?" Damien asked, confused. Harry smirked. "Anakin and I agreed that the winner of this would do the dishes."

Now it was Damien's turn to look shocked before he smirked. "You're just saying that to get me to do the dishes Master. It won't work."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he asked calmly. Damien shrugged. "Because it's normally the loser that does them not the winner."

Harry exchanged a glance with Anakin. "You know Padawan, you're absolutely right. However, if you don't do them then you don't get to go to the Senate with me later on. There's an important vote on whether or not to give the Chancellor emergency powers in order to end the war and I had planned on taking you with me so you could get a look at how the Senate works in real life."

Harry shrugged and then said in a mock sad tone, "But if those dishes aren't done then you won't be coming and that would be very bad for me."

"Why."

"Because I need you with me to keep me from turning tail and running" Harry smirked. Damien chuckled, he knew very well that his master wouldn't turn tail and run from any politician, but he did want to go with Harry. He hadn't had the chance to go outside the Temple very much and he didn't want to lose the chance he now had. With a theatrical groan he headed into the kitchen to do the dishes.

An hour later Harry and Damien were standing in an alcove off the Senate chamber, listening to the arguments. Damien didn't understand the majority of it so Harry provided a running commentary through their bond which simplified matters for the Padawan.

"Members of the Senate" Palpatine was saying. "I realize that this is an important decision for you to make and I promise that if you give me this power I will lay it down once the crisis has abated."

Damien looked at Harry as he snorted quietly. Leaning towards him, Damien asked quietly, "Don't you believe him Master?"

Equally quietly Harry responded, "No Padawan I don't. He's always been far too interested in Anakin for my peace of mind and he's never much liked me. Plus I get the sense from the Force that he's lying. "

Damien shrugged, deciding to leave further questions for later, as his Master had indicated that he should pay attention to what was going on in the chamber.

Most of it was incomprehensible to him but Harry's commentary simplified things, and Damien was able to understand that there were two sides to this debate. One was the Loyalists, who didn't want the Chancellor gaining emergency power as it would take away the democratic processes of the Republic, and the other side was the Chancellor's supporters who wanted him to have those powers so he could end the war.

_They'll put it to a vote now Damien, all the arguments have been made _came the mental comment from Harry. Damien nodded before replying, _Which side are you on Master?_

_Jedi don't take sides_ came the automatic response from Harry. Damien turned and gave his master a look that said quite clearly that he didn't believe him.

_OK Padawan, I'm on the Loyalists side here. I don't like the feeling I get from the Chancellor and I think giving him more power is a bad idea._

Damien nodded and then watched intently as the voting process commenced. The end result was close but Palpatine got the emergency powers he wanted. Looking over across the Senate Damien could see Padme looking rather upset at the result. So did the rest of the Loyalists he noted as he scanned the area.

A hand on his shoulder alerted him to the fact that Harry was ready to leave. Quietly the two Jedi left the Senate chamber and made their way back to the Temple. Harry was deep in thought, but not so deep that he didn't hear his apprentice say "Thanks for taking me with you Master."

Smiling, Harry replied, "It was a good chance for you to observe the workings of the Senate first hand rather than reading about procedures from datapads. Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, and thanks for the commentary. What do you think the Chancellor will do with these new powers?"

Harry frowned. "I'm not sure Damien. I just hope he doesn't pull an Umbridge."

"Pull a what?" Damien asked, confused. Harry looked over at him and grinned. "I'll explain when we get back. It has to do with when I was still living on Earth."

"And attended Hogwarts" Damien confirmed. Harry nodded before swerving to avoid a learner driver that had stalled in the traffic lane. Once they got back to the Temple though, Damien let out a yawn, prompting Harry to look at the time and frown.

"That explanation can be left until tomorrow I think. You're almost asleep on your feet and I need to talk to both Anakin and the Council about the outcome of the vote."

Damien looked stubborn. "Can't I stay up, I want to hear that explanation."

Harry shook his head. "No Damien, it's likely that I'll be another couple of hours and you need your rest. Go to bed, and sleep, the explanation will still be available tomorrow."

Damien grumbled and growled but nonetheless headed off to bed. Harry waited until he was asleep before calling Anakin and the Council on his comlink.

"We have a problem" was all he said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Explanations **

Damien held his breath and slowly opened the door to the bedroom where his targets were sleeping. The Padawan moved slowly and silently into the room, thankful that the room was still dark enough to hide in the shadows despite the time being 6:30 in the morning.

He shifted to the side of the bed and stood, looking down at the two people lying peacefully entwined with one another, not knowing of their coming fate. He reached into a pocket of his pants and withdrew a small item. Before he could use it though, he found himself frozen in place, unable to move.

"Hmm, we have an intruder love" the male target said sleepily as Damien fought to free himself. He would not like the consequences of returning to the Council and saying that he'd failed in his mission.

"What should we do with him then?" his female target enquired of her husband. The first speaker shrugged before Damien found himself lifted in the air and then hovered over top of the bed.

"I suppose we could let him go, but he did interrupt us" came the amused sounding voice of his primary captor.

"Yes, well, lower him down here then and we can properly punish him for waking us up."

Damien was abruptly dropped onto the bed where he found himself pinned down and nimble fingers were suddenly tickling him, finding all his ticklish spots with unerring accuracy. Within a few minutes the thirteen year old was reduced to a limp giggling heap on the bed.

"Ah! Mercy!" he finally cried out. The tickling stopped but his captors looked at each other, considering his request.

"Should we stop?" one of them asked. The other shrugged. "He looks like he's had enough. Let him go."

Harry shrugged and then released Damien from the Force binds that had held him prisoner before pinning him down with one arm across his chest.

"Had fun Padawan?" he said with a grin.

Damien snorted. "I was supposed to prank you and Ginny and I failed. Master Windu and James will be disappointed, not to mention Master Kenobi."

Ginny laughed. "Did you think we were unaware of your presence Damien? We knew you were in the room from the moment you opened the door."

Damien stared at the woman that he secretly considered to be like his mother before asking, "H, how?"

Harry answered with a chuckle, "You need to practice shielding your Force presence more Damien. You shielded it well, but not quite well enough. Plus you shielded the bond which is a sure sign that you're either not well or you're up to something that you don't want me to know about."

Damien blushed; he hadn't known that he was that easy to read. Shaking his head Harry moved his arm, allowing Damien the chance to shift position from where he was trapped between Harry and Ginny. As he rose from the bed, Harry enquired, "Why exactly are you up this early anyway?"

"Because you promised that explanation today" Damien exclaimed. Harry looked at the time before looking at his apprentice incredulously and then unceremoniously dumped him off the bed and onto the floor.

"It's too early, go back to bed" he muttered before promptly rolling over and going back to sleep. Damien stared at him in disbelief before taking a chance with his life and climbing back on the bed, squirming up the middle and generally trying to keep Harry awake.

The roar of "DAMIEN KYRAL YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!!!!" was heard up and down the corridor of the part of the Temple that housed Harry's apartment. James and Mace, along with Obi-Wan who were waiting outside to hear the outcome of the prank looked at each other and grinned, just before a disheveled Damien came running out the door at top speed, still in his pyjamas, and followed by several water balloons that were held aloft and in motion with the Force.

At their enquiring looks Damien shrugged and said, "He wanted to go back to sleep so I dropped several water balloons on both him and Ginny, and then on the bed itself."

James and Obi-Wan exchanged looks before choking on laughter at the mental image. The water balloons chasing Damien finally caught up to him and Damien sighed as he was rendered dripping wet.

"I'll see you later when Master Harry decides to finally give that explanation. He mentioned something about telling you lot as well" he said before moving towards the door. Just before he got there James said, "Tell Harry that it was our faults about the prank."

Damien shrugged and agreed before disappearing into the apartment. Four hours later, when all the occupants of the apartment were showered, dressed and fed, the meeting about the events of the night finally took place.

Harry, Ginny and Damien were sitting on the couch; Padme was sitting with Anakin on the opposite couch that Harry had absently conjured, while James, Lily and two Council members, namely Obi-Wan and Mace were sitting on other chairs grabbed from round the table that served part of the dining room. Once they were seated, Anakin started the meeting by telling them of his meetings with Palpatine.

"He seems very interested in turning me away from the Light side" Anakin commented at the end of the retelling. The senior Jedi scowled and Damien said, "Well he won't succeed though. He's got all of us standing in the way."

Chuckles greeted this statement and Anakin fondly ruffled Damien's hair to indignant growls from the Padawan. Damien waited until the chuckling had died down before turning to Harry.

"Master, you promised an explanation of why current events mirror the Umbridge situation when you were at Hogwarts" he said, his tone making it clear that he wanted the explanation now with no stalling. Harry raised an eyebrow at the tone but leant back in his seat and stared at the ceiling.

"Get the Pensieve" he requested. Damien jumped up and retrieved the bowl from where it lived, noting the silvery mass inside it. Harry had spent a few hours combing his memories of his fifth year to show Umbridge in as similar a light to Palpatine as possible, not that that was hard. Almost every memory was included, from the speech at the welcoming feast, to the educational decrees, to the end of the year and the inquisitorial squad. He hadn't got to bed till 1 am which was why he had been so unimpressed at Damien's early wake up call that morning.

The bowl was placed on the table and the group entered the memories. When they returned there was general shaking of heads at what Harry and Ginny had lived through and then Padme muttered, "There have been rumblings of new Constitutional Amendments being made, although nothing has come of them due to Palpatine's inability to make the Senate agree. Now though, with those new emergency powers of his, I don't know what's going to happen. They may very well come to pass."

"What about those that help to end the war? Won't they be beneficial?" Damien asked. Harry smiled sadly. "Maybe Damien, but the thing is Palpatine could turn from giving beneficial decrees to behaving like Umbridge, having decrees against anything he doesn't like. That could cause problems and push the Republic into a dictatorship rather than the democracy which has served us well for so long."

"And a dictatorship is a bad thing right?" Damien questioned. Emphatic head nodding from the adults present told him the answer before Padme gave him the verbal one.

"Yes Damien it is a bad thing, it would mean the loss of freedom for the galaxy's inhabitants. That is always a bad thing."

"How is the arguing I saw last night better though?" the Padawan asked. He was confused; he thought one person making decisions rather than the arguments was better. Harry shook his head. "The "arguing" as you put it Padawan, helps keep one person from making bad decisions. If a lot of people strongly oppose something then in a democratic system which is what the Republic is, it is likely that that issue won't become a reality. In a dictatorship, the leader, or dictator, can tell people that that is what will happen and they don't have any choice about it, even if it is something that is ultimately going to hurt them."

Damien still looked confused so Harry tried to clarify the matter by relating it to a concept that Damien understood. "Think of it this way, the Council decides together who to send on missions right?" A nod from Damien signaled his understanding so Harry continued, "If enough members disagree on the choice of who to send then a new team or person is chosen. That is democracy. If it were a dictatorship then either, hmm, it would either be Master Windu or Master Yoda, could tell the rest of the Council what to do and they wouldn't be able to argue. See the difference?"

Damien thought for a few minutes before he nodded. Harry nodded back and then smirked before leaning towards Damien and saying "If the people don't like what happens though they can rebel. Remember the pool incident?"

Damien looked at Harry in shock. The pool incident had been because Harry had been given a job he fundamentally disagreed with by Mace. He'd done it but had got back at Mace for making him do it. No one was quite sure how he'd done it but he'd managed to put enhanced green food colouring in the pond where Mace liked to swim occasionally. The pond was in the garden reserved for Masters and Mace was the only one that really used it regularly so Harry had been pretty sure of getting his intended target.

Harry took a look at his friends who were laughing hysterically. Technically it had been food colouring enhanced with a few spells to be long lasting, and it had been the work of Harry and James not just Harry but it was still funny. Mace was spluttering and vowing to find a suitable payback method.

Harry brought back the seriousness by saying, "Palpatine and his Constitutional Amendments, and Umbridge and her Educational Decrees. Is anyone else is getting a sense of déjà vu here?"

Ginny snuggled up to him before replying, "Yes Harry. You forgot to show our rebellion though. Go on, it might amuse them."

Harry thought for a moment before shrugging. "I'll use the memory movie spell though" he said, referring to the spell that James had used on the trip from Tatooine to Coruscant when James, Lily and Ginny first joined the Jedi Order. The rest of the group shrugged and then watched in amusement at the school-wide rebellion against the toad, as Harry referred to her. Once the memories were finished, Padme looked thoughtful.

"Any chance of that being useful here?" she finally commented. Ginny smirked. "I don't think portable swamps and wildfire whiz-bangs would work here Padme, but if you're referring to the rebellion part I suggest going through legal channels first. Try petitions to get him to see sense if he starts doing things you don't like. If those don't work then start making plans. Let's see what Palpatine uses these powers for before we actively start working against him."

Nods from the group signaled their agreement with the sentiment before Anakin stood up and headed for the door, his comlink vibrating with a message from the Chancellor's office. Saying farewell to everyone he headed off for yet another meeting with the guy he was coming to loathe while Harry and Damien prepared for their first mission together, as Mace had not only come for the explanation of the Senate decision but also to tell the pair that they were scheduled to leave for Adumar the following day to help quell a Separatist uprising.

The rest of the day for Harry and Damien was spent packing and researching the layout of the planet as they would need at least a cursory knowledge of the geography before heading into a battle. Harry was saddened by the fact that Damien's missions with him would more than likely be war related but it couldn't be helped at this point in time and it would give Damien practical battle experience that he couldn't get inside the Temple.

That night, several people stayed awake for most of the night. Anakin was turning over his latest meeting with the Chancellor and trying to analyse his possible plans, the Chancellor was trying to think of a way to break the still powerful bond between Harry and Anakin so he could have the Chosen One to himself, while Harry was wishing that he could keep Damien at the Temple, where it was safe, and then acknowledging ruefully that he was feeling what Dumbledore must have felt when it came to himself. Damien on the other hand, despite his excitement at finally getting to go on a mission fell asleep almost instantly.

Plots within plots, wheels within wheels, the war continued as the almost invisible web of deceit and darkness stretched over the giant chessboard that was the domain of a certain Sith Lord with various conflicts being played out over the galaxy, all drawing closer to what the Sith considered an inevitable conclusion. There was one thing standing in his way though, one anomaly that could disrupt the whole game.

Harry's scar twinged with pain as Sidious malevolently hissed "Potter!"

**Author Note**

Ok, some of you may have noticed alerts pertaining to my as yet unposted story Memoirs of a Dark Lord. I did begin to post it during the time that review/story alerts were down but then decided to remove it pending rewriting the first few chapters. I'm sorry if this caused any confusion but it now will not be posted until I'm a) happy with it and b) have totally finished with it. I will also be completely rewriting Chronicles of the Chosen One. The main premise of the story will be the same but it will be cleaned up and hopefully a better series than it currently is. I will be leaving the old series up until I have the revised series done, and then I will take down all the old series and repost the new one. You never know I might decide to turn it into one gigantic story rather than leave it at 7 separate ones, or 8 if you count the prequel. Let me know what you think of the two options, combining them all into one story or leaving it at 7 (or 8) separate ones. This time round I have a beta for it, **Khadon **who will help me keep it in the realms of the believable which I think I left at times when I first wrote the series. Given that it was my first attempt at fanfic, and the lessons I've learnt from WANP and DA I think I can change it to a much better story. Hopefully. Anyway, in order of importance my stories go, WANP, DA, Memoirs, Chronicles rewrite. Oh and there's a 4th story as well called Revolution which is more of an idea at present than an actual story. I've only got 1 chapter for that one and I'm not sure whether I'll scrap it, turn it into a completely different story or whatever. If anyone else wants to take it over, feel free to message me and I'll give you the rough outline I've got for it. Just tell me when you'll post it and the name of it should you decide to change it.

May the Force be with you

Padawan Lynne


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Missions and Complications**

Blaster bolts seemed to be everywhere at once. The two Jedi were caught in the middle of a firestorm, deflecting and dodging without conscious thought as to what they were doing. Damien ducked one bolt that would have taken his head off and batted another back at the Separatist forces which would have killed Harry if it had hit him.

Damien and Harry stood back to back in the middle of a rough ring, with the Separatist droid army on one side and their clone troops at their backs. Harry had been uncomfortable with fighting on the same side as clones initially but as the war had progressed he learnt to work with them and even became friendly with one of the commanders, who usually ended up in battle alongside him.

Harry wiped sweat out of his eyes and glared at the droids, before swiftly checking how Damien was doing. He felt immense pride at Damien's performance, most Padawans were nervous and a little jumpy and uncoordinated when experiencing battle for the first time but Damien seemed to have somehow absorbed Harry's cool, calm collectedness under fire, although Harry didn't quite know how, and had been responsible for the destruction of quite a few droids as well as saving Harry's life a couple of times by deflecting laser blasts that Harry wouldn't have got to in time. Harry in return, had protected Damien from the worst of the unfriendly fire and offered encouragement and a steadying influence through their bond which helped to keep Damien relatively calm.

Finally the battle ended and Damien collapsed from exhaustion. Looking up at Harry he coughed from the dust and then asked, "Is it over now?" Harry smiled tiredly and replied, "Yes, for now. We've won Damien, at least this battle. Can you stand? We need to make sure the compound is habitable."

Damien nodded and drew on the Force, allowing it to flow through him and refresh his tired body. He knew he'd sleep like the dead that night but for now he was able to move and that was all that mattered. He heard an approving murmur from one of the clones as he got to his feet, and then felt Harry's arm go round him and steady him until he could walk on his own. Once he was steady on his feet, Harry let go and headed towards the compound that they had been fighting over.

Adumar was normally a peaceful world, and the only reason it was the scene of a battle was the fact that it produced a large amount of the minerals needed for shield generators and also several small but important hyperdrive components. The raw materials were refined in the compound that he and Harry had been sent to liberate and then shipped to the construction companies that used them.

The Separatists had naturally taken this compound for themselves which stopped the Republic armies from having new hyperdrives and shield generators for their ships. This was unacceptable of course and a large group of clones had been sent to retake it, with Harry and Damien leading them. It had been a hard and long battle, lasting several days, as the droids seemed to keep coming and coming at them, whereas Harry's army was being depleted day by day with no reinforcements arriving. The situation was looking especially grim one day when Damien had suggested putting some sort of electrical interference in the air which would stuff up the droid army's means of communicating with each other and their main control center. Harry had stared at Damien in amazement for a minute before grinning. The electrical interference was taken care of nicely, thanks to liberal use of magic as Harry had created a large magical storm over the droids and taken out the commanders with lightning strikes that totally disabled their circuits. Without the commanders the others were lost and confused, which left the clones with nothing more than target practice. It had seemed like victory was certain until the last batch of new droid reinforcements showed up that morning, which had led to the battle that had just finished.

Damien shook himself out of his musings and followed Harry through the compound, shivering at the sight of the dead bodies and droid parts strewn everywhere. He started when he felt an arm go round his shoulders.

"Try not to think about it too much" Harry advised quietly. He'd felt Damien's unease along the bond and had dropped back to offer some reassurance. He was rewarded with a shaky smile before Damien replied, "OK but it's difficult. Is war always like this?"

Harry looked down the corridor they were walking down, his eyes unfocused as he thought of how best to answer the question. Finally he decided that sugar coating things wasn't going to help so he went for blunt honesty.

"Mostly, yes it is" he said, before continuing, "It is a state of affairs that we as Jedi normally try to prevent. It is a terrible waste of life, or machinery in the case of the droid armies, and I much prefer diplomacy to fighting but in this war we don't have much choice. Just remember that in battle, if the other side is trying to kill you, you shouldn't feel too bad if they don't dodge a reflected laser bolt."

"But I thought we were supposed to care about other beings?" Damien questioned, shocked that Harry seemed to be advocating killing. Harry ran a hand through his hair and then said "We are Damien. What I'm saying is this, feel bad that they made the choice they did, but don't feel bad for defending yourself. If I had to choose between you dying and Dooku dying for example, I wouldn't feel particularly bad for choosing you. I'd mourn the fact that he chose to fight for the opposite side and lost his life doing so but I wouldn't feel bad for being happy that you lived. Understand?"

Damien frowned. "I think so Master. I just need to think about it a bit more." Harry nodded. "That's fine. Want to go check out the rooms further down, I don't sense anything but stay alert just in case."

Damien brightened at the chance to do something more than just follow Harry around and snapped off a salute before walking quickly but cautiously down the hall. Harry watched him enter the first room and waited, ruthlessly squashing any anxiety and reminding himself that the almost fourteen year old was well trained, despite only having less than a year of said training. He then acknowledged the silent presence at his side.

"Reid how are you?" he asked. His commander friend among the clones removed his helmet and smirked. "Fine Master Potter, how are you? Your apprentice did very well in the battle."

Harry nodded, still checking Damien's progress. The Padawan had checked out 3 of the 5 rooms at this point and was just entering the fourth. "He did. I wish he didn't have to fight in a war but we didn't have much choice. Plus I wouldn't be alive right now if he hadn't protected my back."

Reid nodded. "Very true Master Potter. He seems like a pretty level headed kid. How long has he been with you?"

Harry smirked. "About 7 or 8 months."

Reid whistled. "Well, for the amount of training he's had I'd say he's very good. First real battle?"

Harry nodded, and then sighed with relief when Damien emerged from the final room and gave the all clear signal. "All clear, we can call the Chancellor and inform him of our success. Then we wait till the Republic forces get here to reoccupy the place and then we leave. Should be no more than a couple more days." Reid nodded and then smiled as Damien came up to Harry and formally reported that all the rooms were clear and no sign of enemy forces remained. Harry nodded in acknowledgment of the report but said nothing else although he smiled faintly at Damien.

Damien wasn't bothered by this, he'd come to understand his master's ways and knew that while he might be open and warm in private and in training he was likely to say "Well done" if Damien had had done something right, and if not he would gently correct him. On a mission, or other errand however, he kept his emotions guarded from others. This meant that the Padawan had grown adept in reading his master's body language and the faint smile told him that Harry was proud of him, which was all Damien needed to know. Smiling back, Damien fell into his familiar position, just behind and to the side as he followed Harry back to the main part of the compound building where the surviving clones were setting up camp for the two days until the reoccupation forces arrived.

Two days later Damien was woken from a sound sleep by Harry yelling out "Siri, what are you doing here?" Damien rolled out of bed to see Siri Tachi, a Jedi Master and one of Harry's friends, walking towards them. The woman smirked and replied, "Replacing you in this burnt out crisp Potter. You couldn't have cleaned up a bit first?"

Harry laughed and then replied, "You know how I am about cleaning Siri, I thought I'd leave it to the experts." Siri laughed and gently punched his shoulder, grinning when Harry exaggeratedly rubbed the offended part and gave her a mock wounded look.

Spying Damien Siri said, "I see you got yourself another hanger on Harry. When did you pick him up?"

Growling, Harry replied, "I chose him about 7 or 8 months ago Siri. Don't insult him in my presence please."

Siri looked at him, and then at Damien, who had come to stand by Harry's side. She smiled at Damien and then said, "Easy Harry, I'm not insulting him. I like my life too much to risk it like that you know." Turning to Damien she grinned and said, "Is he always that grouchy?"

"Only when he hasn't had a morning coffee" Damien replied, chuckling when Harry gently cuffed the back of his head. Rolling his eyes his master said in a long suffering tone, "See what I have to deal with?"

The three Jedi chuckled for a few minutes until Harry grew serious. "What about yourself Siri, I would have thought that you had chosen another Padawan by now. It's been what, four years since Ferus was knighted?"

Siri closed her eyes. "I did choose one Harry but, we were on our first mission and he got in between me and a criminal we were trying to apprehend. He thought he was protecting me and ended up dead. I haven't wanted to choose since then."

Harry closed his eyes; he knew that Siri was a brilliant teacher, and a compassionate Jedi. To lose a Padawan was devastating for any Master, to lose one on the first mission was heartbreaking. Putting an arm round his friend's shoulders he gently hugged her and motioned for Damien to stand back a bit to give the two Masters some privacy.

Damien shrugged and wandered off to speak to the clones. The men had allowed him to wander round and ask questions, and seemed to have as many questions for him about being a Jedi as he did about warfare. A slight tugging on the Master/Padawan bond got his attention and he walked over to Harry to see what he needed him for.

In short order Damien found himself receiving a flying lesson, courtesy of Harry and the Marauder. Whenever possible Harry flew his own ship on missions, and carried it with him when he couldn't. Damien hadn't been allowed at the controls much before and relished the chance to fly the Marauder for a bit before Harry showed him how to activate the hyperdrive. With a flash of light, the Marauder jumped into hyperspace, with the clone troops behind them in their own ship, headed back to Coruscant.

When they reached Coruscant they were asked to report to the Council for debriefing. Damien was nervous, as this was only the second time he'd had to appear before the Council. Harry kept making irreverent comments about the various Councillors which helped to sooth his nerves and even got him to laugh once before they were called in. Once they were inside, Damien adopted the "don't speak unless spoken to" approach and allowed Harry to handle the questioning. The Council members were mindful of the Padawan's nervousness and only asked him a few questions, being gentle with him the whole time. When the pair finally left, Damien asked "Is it always that nerve wracking Master?"

Harry laughed. "They like to keep it formal to discourage any long winded reports Damien. As you grow older you get better at tuning out the atmosphere and giving reports. By the time you get to be a senior Padawan, and then on into Knighthood you won't even notice the atmosphere and will instead view it as I do."

"Which is how?" came the question from the apprentice. Harry glanced at him and then smirked before replying, "A boring waste of time when they could just read the written report we submitted before arriving."

Damien sniggered and then raced ahead of his master to open the door. He walked in and promptly stopped at seeing Padme, Anakin, Bail Organa, and Obi-Wan lounging on the couches. Harry walked in behind him and then stiffened in shock.

"Exactly what do you all think you're doing in here?" he questioned calmly, but with an undertone that Damien knew meant that Harry was annoyed. Anakin obviously remembered what it meant too because his eyes widened slightly and he rose from his seat and tried to placate the older Jedi.

"Harry, we know you've only just got back and you're probably tired but we need to talk to you urgently."

Harry favored his former Padawan with a glare. "_We_" he stressed, indicating Damien with a wave of his hand, "are very tired, and dirty and hungry. We've just returned from a mission and we need at least a shower and some food before we can even think about talking to you. Better yet, we can add a good night's sleep to that as well."

Turning to the Senators he bowed slightly and said, "I'm sorry for the rudeness of my words but it was a shock to walk in here and see you all waiting for us."

Bail rose immediately. "Don't worry about it Harry, we told Anakin it was a bad idea to talk to you now. Perhaps tomorrow morning?" At a nod from Harry the Senators took their leave, as did Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Harry flopped onto the couch with a sigh. Damien copied him and flopped down next to him. "Now what" the apprentice commented, brushing hair out of his eyes with an annoyed motion. Harry shook his head. "Exactly what I told them Damien, bath, food and rest in that order. I'll get the food ready and eat while you go have a shower. Use the water, not the sonic one please. Then I'll have my shower while you eat and then we can catch up on the sleep we both need."

Damien nodded and the pair did exactly that, both falling into a deep sleep almost the instant their heads hit the pillow. While Damien's sleep was dreamless, Harry's was not.

Harry groaned as he found himself in a small room in his head that he had created to deal with Voldemort back when he was in Azkaban. It was only a second later when the spirit of his former nemesis appeared in front of him. Growling, Harry checked and rechecked his shields, finding them all intact. Reining in his annoyance and breathing deeply, reminding himself that he was a Jedi and Tom Riddle was a pile of subatomic particles by now, Harry faced the apparition and asked, "What the hell are you doing in my head Tom and how did you get here?"

Voldemort smirked. "I'm not here to harm you Potter, and you can stop trying to throw me out, I will leave when I've delivered my message and not before."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" he snapped. Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "I thought the Jedi had more manners than this. I suppose I can't blame you, we were mortal enemies when I was alive. Very well, the message is this, keep an eye on Palpatine."

Harry snorted. "I already do Tom; this is nothing new to me." Voldemort shook his head. "Your suspicions of him are correct Harry; he is a Sith Lord, known as Darth Sidious. I rather admire him actually, if I'd used his path I'd have ruled the world and he rules a bloody galaxy."

Harry stared at his former nemesis in shock. "How do you know this?" he queried sharply. Voldemort laughed. "Really Harry, being dead gives me the secrets of the living of course. I was impressed with your scar acting up round him actually, and your speed in deducing the correct reason for that. If you want your precious Jedi Order to survive I'd suggest creating evacuation plans now. He is very close to moving onto the offensive."

"What about the war?" Harry asked, curious. Voldemort snorted. "The war was a tactic to gain as much power as possible. Those "emergency powers" of his were a major achievement for his plan."

"What plan?" Harry snapped. Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "If I told you the war was only a distraction to keep everyone away from his true goal, and given what you know of his true colors so to speak, what would your deductions be?"

Harry sorted through the information in his mind before his face went white. "As a Sith Lord his aim is to rule the galaxy. He is the leader of the Republic and controls the Senate; the only thing standing in his way is his greatest enemy, the Jedi Order. He'll wipe us out given half a chance."

Voldemort nodded. "Correct. Hence my advice about creating evacuation plans."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you. What assurances do I have that you're speaking the truth though?" His former enemy looked at him quietly. "Search your feelings Harry; you know that what I'm saying is true."

Harry reviewed all the information that Voldemort had given him, searching for the tiniest hint of deception. He found none. Looking at Voldemort again he asked one more question, "Are you actually possessing him to make my scar act up?" Voldemort shook his head. "No Harry I am not. It is all him. Be wary. Oh and one more thing. Sidious is very interested in Skywalker. He will use any means necessary to turn him. If you don't want to lose him, keep him close."

With that last startling bit of advice, Voldemort vanished, leaving Harry unsettled and very uneasy. He tightened and refreshed all his mental defences and checked the bond with Damien, finding his Padawan deeply asleep before falling deeper into sleep himself, his mind turning over the astonishing conversation he'd just had and pondering the future of his home, a future that suddenly seemed decidedly grim.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Plans and New Arrivals.**

Harry woke the next morning, still very unsettled. He had examined all possible reasons for Voldemort to tell him what he had and had come to the conclusion that his former enemy was jealous of what Sidious had managed to achieve. Smirking, he wondered if Voldemort and Sidious could be the founding members of an "I Hate Harry Potter" club. Both certainly seemed to like messing around with his life and Harry was getting a bit sick of it.

Stretching out, he noticed that Ginny wasn't with him, and remembered that she had had an early shift at the hospital wing that week. Shrugging he got up, dressed himself in a clean uniform and went to check on his apprentice.

Damien was still fast asleep when Harry opened the door to his bedroom. The Jedi Master merely smiled at the sight, relieved once again that they had both made it through the mission alive and relatively unscathed. He then frowned as he remembered Siri and wished that there was something he could do to help her. Unfortunately there wasn't and all he could do was be there for support if she needed it.

As he watched, Damien rolled over a bit too far and ended up rolling out of bed. Harry was vastly amused when this didn't wake him up, and instead the Padawan merely continued to sleep. Shaking his head, Harry levitated Damien back into bed and covered him up again. He would let his apprentice sleep as long as he needed to, he deserved the rest. Smiling again, he turned and headed for the kitchen, making breakfast for himself and Damien with swift ease. Taking some for himself he left the rest under a warming charm so that when his Padawan woke up it wouldn't be cold.

10 minutes later he'd finished with breakfast and had washed and put away the dishes he'd used. Looking round and seeing nothing else that needed doing he went to call the group that had been in his apartment the previous night. Half an hour later saw them all in the common area, with the addition of Mace, who Harry felt needed to hear the news as well.

When they were all seated Obi-Wan asked, "Harry, where's your Padawan?" Harry looked at his friend and replied, "Still asleep, the mission took a lot out of him."

"He's OK though?" Anakin asked, worry lines creasing his forehead at the thought of his "little brother" hurt in any way. Harry smirked and replied, "Yes he's fine Anakin. For his first real battle he did extraordinarily well. I wouldn't be sitting here right now if it weren't for him you know. He saved my life at least twice that I know of."

"And you were worried that you wouldn't be a good Master" Mace said with a smirk. The rest of the group looked puzzled and Harry merely groaned. "Don't bring that up Mace, besides you know my reasons for doubting myself in those days."

At the quizzical looks from his friends, Harry sighed and said, "When I took Anakin as my Padawan I was beset with doubts about my ability to raise and teach him. Most of those doubts were the same as those of any new Master but some were connected to my past."

At Anakin's raised eyebrow he growled and snapped, "You know how I was raised so just think about what type of doubt I might have been feeling." Anakin thought for a few seconds before giving Harry a crooked grin.

"You didn't though and you couldn't have been worse than Watto was" he replied. Harry smirked. "I wouldn't have liked the person I was though so I'm glad I didn't."

Padme was looking confused. "Mind clarifying that cryptic stuff?" she asked. Anakin looked at Harry who merely replied, "I grew up abused by my relatives because I had magic. I was afraid that I would continue that cycle with Anakin. Obviously I didn't but still the fear was there."

The assembled group looked at him in sympathy until Harry growled again and asked, "Can we get back on track here?"

Bail decided to start. "Have you heard about the new measures the Chancellor is bringing in?" he asked. Harry frowned. "I just got back from Adumar yesterday Bail, so no I haven't. Is it serious?"

Padme jumped in and replied, "Yes it is. The Chancellor is imposing new measures under the guise of protecting the Republic citizens from the Separatists. Regional governers were appointed yesterday, and new decrees are coming in almost every week. We're putting together a petition to try and make him see sense but we're not sure of what else we can do. We don't want to consider outright rebellion but we're worried and unsure of our options."

Harry sat back and hissed a breath out through clenched teeth. Then he sat forward again and hissed out "This is exactly what I didn't want to contemplate."

"Contemplate what Master?" came a voice from behind them. Harry turned to look at the speaker and raised his eyebrows at the messy haired, still sleepy looking Padawan. Grinning he said, "Good morning sleepyhead. Breakfast is on the counter in the kitchen under a warming charm."

"What are you talking about?" Damien pressed. He got the sense he was being left out of something and didn't like it much. Harry sighed. "Something to do with the government Damien."

"Huh. All right, I'll leave you adults to your boring discussions" Damien said with a grin. Harry shook his head and levitated a pillow with the Force and threw it at Damien in retaliation for the comment. Smirking, Damien had his breakfast and then went back to his room to work on the assignments that he'd neglected somewhat due to the mission. He knew that Harry hadn't given the complete reason for the conversation but he also knew that he shouldn't expect to be privy to everything his master did, and so wasn't terribly upset about it. He knew that if he needed to know something then Harry would tell him and that allowed him to squash his curiosity and concentrate on his homework.

Meanwhile, Harry had put up a privacy ward so Damien couldn't eavesdrop. He didn't suspect that his apprentice would do such a thing, but he didn't want Damien hearing the speculation that was going to fly round in that discussion.

"Right, now where were we" he said, once Damien had disappeared into his room. Mace shook his head. "What to do about these new decrees that the Chancellor is introducing."

Bail interjected with "The constitution is in shreds. The Chancellor seems to be constantly amending it, and the Republic is beginning to crumble. If I didn't know better I'd say he was trying to turn it into his own personal empire."

Harry shook his head and his mind flashed back to the unsettling conversation with Voldmort. Looking at Mace and Obi-Wan he indicated with his eyebrows that he needed to give them some information in private afterwards. After they acknowledged his request he looked at the two Senators of the group and replied, "He may very well be but we will keep trying to foil it. Keep talking to anyone that might be sympathetic and try and gain support for that petition. Let's not consider any overt action against him until we've exhausted all other options. The aim here is to try and save the Republic, not continue a civil war."

The Senators nodded and rose to leave, thanking Harry for the time. Anakin walked them to the entrance to the Temple and then came back to see Harry, Mace and Obi-Wan staring at each other intently. Once he'd sat down, he and the others began questioning Harry.

"What did you want to tell us that couldn't be said in front of them Harry?" Obi-Wan asked. Harry shrugged. "What would you say if I told you I had a dream last night in which Voldemort showed up and told me that my suspicions about our Chancellor were true and to start implementing survival plans?"

Mace and Obi-Wan looked highly skeptical. Mace finally answered, "I'd take anything he said with a large amount of salt Harry. Are you sure he was telling the truth?"

Harry frowned. "I couldn't detect any lie in his words and you know what my track record with lie detecting is when using the Force." His companions nodded in agreement and Obi-Wan remarked dryly, "Yes the Padawans are always complaining that you're a walking lie detector Harry. What did he have to say?"

Harry shrugged and then shared the memory of the conversation with his friends. After the memory had finished he saw shocked and unsettled looks on their faces. Anakin then said, "Well, what are we going to do about it then" once he'd got over his shock.

"Start with the evacuation plans for a start. I don't trust Voldemort but what I do trust is my instincts and they're telling me that the scenario he described is possible. Therefore we need to plan to get as many Jedi out of the Temple as possible if an attack should happen" Harry replied.

Mace gave him an assessing look before asking, "How do you plan to do that Harry?" Harry shrugged. "I've been poking round the Temple's lower levels recently and found a secret part of the Temple that could be used as a safe place for the Jedi. The door is not noticeable unless you're really looking for it, I can spell it so that only I or a trusted person can open it or close it. Then once everyone is inside and the door is sealed, the spell will activate and hide it from view from anyone that doesn't know about it."

"I'd like to see it for myself. How do you know that it will hold everyone?" Mace asked. Harry smirked. "Because, this Temple is built on the ruins of the ancient one and the door leads to the ancient Council Chamber, with another door out of that to lower rooms and an exit portal should we need it. The only way into it is that first door I mentioned so it should be safe if I or my parents spelled it correctly."

"How are you planning to hide it though?" Anakin asked. Harry shrugged. "I don't know yet, this is a rough idea I suggested, feel free to refine it any way you wish. I just don't want a situation where lots of us die and I could have helped save some of them."

Mace nodded and turned to the worrying problem of Chancellor Palpatine possibly being a Sith Lord. Despite his trust in Harry's instincts, it went against his nature to believe that the leader of the Republic was in fact their worst enemy. He sighed and stood up.

"We'll think about this Harry and make a decision. Just be very careful around the Chancellor from now on though." Turning to Anakin he added, "That goes for you too Anakin, you're in the most contact with him and you need to be extremely careful. Don't take any unnecessary chances."

Anakin nodded vigorously and replied, "Don't worry, I won't take any chances. Do you want me to try and confirm it?" Head shakes from all three senior Jedi told him that no they didn't. He left to see Padme, worried about the possible repercussions that this could have on the Jedi Order. He knew, as Harry did, that if Palpatine was a Sith then the Jedi were in deep shit.

Several weeks later Harry was lying asleep in bed with Ginny when she woke suddenly at about 3 am. He had got used to this as she was now only a few days away from her due date. She whimpered a bit and then woke him up with a hard poke. He turned over on his side and faced her, only half awake. What she told him though had his eyes snapping wide open in disbelief.

"Harry" she said through gritted teeth, "Our child is on the way." Harry stared at her before leaping out of bed and throwing on a robe before going to the comm. unit.

"Mum" he said as Lily answered with a yawn, "it's time. What do I do?" Lily took a moment to process what Harry had said before she slipped into Healer mode and became professional.

"Bring her to the infirmary, we can monitor her there. Is she in much pain?"

Harry looked back at Ginny who smiled at him before clenching her teeth as a contraction hit. "Er, she's OK for now, but she just had another contraction. Is it safe for her to walk?"

Lily smiled at the obvious worry that was radiating from Harry. "She'll be fine Harry. Bring her to the infirmary now though, and fast."

Harry nodded and cut the connection before placing an arm round Ginny's shoulders and helping her to the infirmary. Once she was settled in a room in the hospital he ran back to the apartment and woke Damien. Understandably the Padawan was annoyed at being told he couldn't stay up but was excited about meeting his new "brother" or "sister" later that morning. Harry then ran back to the infirmary, only pausing to call Obi-Wan and Mace, both of whom congratulated him and promised to visit later before falling back to sleep.

When Harry arrived back at the infirmary he saw James there as well. The older wizard smiled at his son, who was now beginning to exhibit momentary signs of panic, evidenced by his flood of questions about Ginny's safety, and that of the baby.

Finally James had had enough. "Harry, calm down, she'll be fine!" he snapped. Harry didn't listen and kept pacing round and round, until he walked straight into James' fist.

"Did you have to do that James" came the reproachful voice of Minerva McGonagall who had been visiting Harry and the rest for the past week. She had been wandering round in her animagus form when she'd heard the commotion and went to investigate.

James shook his head. "He wouldn't shut up" he replied sheepishly. Minerva fixed him with a look and replied tartly, "I seem to remember a certain other Potter who behaved the same way when his son was born. Sirius had to deck you too correct?"

James smirked and then woke Harry up. He had to dodge a punch from the Jedi Master, but then Harry sat in the chair and kept his emotions under control via meditation. He reached out with the Force and monitored Ginny's condition, wincing as the pain that he felt from her spiked and lowered every few minutes. Finally after a few hours, Lily poked her head out.

"You can come in now Harry" she said with a smile, and then had to jump aside as Harry almost threw the door off its hinges in his haste to see his wife and the new addition to his family.

He stopped dead when he saw Ginny. The witch was lying on the bed, looking exhausted but happy and was holding a little pink wrapped bundle in her arms. The Jedi cautiously approached the bed, almost afraid to touch the small bundle in case it broke.

Ginny smirked and then said, "Harry James Potter, may I introduce you to your daughter, Tamsin Lily Potter."

Harry smiled and then gingerly accepted his new daughter from Ginny. Lily came over to help him settle her in his arms and then stepped back, watching with tears in her eyes as Harry stared at the little baby in his arms with a look of absolute wonder.

Finally he looked up and met the eyes of his family before he sat down and said, "She's, she's wonderful."

James, Lily and Minerva all nodded, and there wasn't a dry eye among them. James and Lily had never expected to be able to see any grandchildren they might have had, while Minerva was just happy to see Harry achieve one of the things that he had always wanted, a family of his own. She was startled when Harry rose and held out baby Tamsin to her saying softly, "Want to hold her Minerva?"

The witch gently took the little girl from the arms of her father and held her, for a few minutes before handing her back to Harry. Harry then let James and Lily each have a chance to hold her before he gave her back to Ginny. A few minutes later the baby began to cry, signaling that she was hungry so Ginny, helped by Lily, began to feed her.

A dazed looking Harry wandered out of the room and collided with Mace and Obi-Wan who had come to see the new arrival just as they had promised. Behind them was Anakin and Padme, who had been informed by Damien of where Harry was.

"It's a girl" Harry said with a goofy grin and Anakin let out a soft whoop of delight. Damien came running down the hall at that moment, having got up and had breakfast before coming to see what had happened with Ginny. He and the other Jedi softly exclaimed over the new arrival before Lily pushed them all out so that Ginny and Tamsin could rest. Harry was led back to his apartment by Damien who practically pushed Harry down at the table and pushed a plate of food in front of him. Harry ate mechanically and once he was finished, a bit more awareness came into his eyes and he looked sharply at his apprentice.

"Thank you Damien, I sort of zoned out there. Sorry for ignoring you before." Damien shook his head with a soft smile. "Nothing to be sorry for Master, I'm just as excited as you are. I don't get to see babies very often so this was a big deal for me too. Um, will she be living with us?" Harry shrugged. "I don't know Damien and her name is Tamsin. Would you mind if she did?"

Damien shrugged as well before replying, "No. I'd like to have a little sister around but I thought she'd be living in the crèche with the other babies."

"Not until she can be fed with a bottle I think" Harry murmured. Shaking off the last of his fatherhood induced shock he turned his thoughts towards Damien. He still had a responsibility to him, even if all he wanted to do at the moment was sit and stare at his new daughter.

Damien waved a hand in front of his master's face and said, "Hey, anyone home in there?" Harry laughed. "Yes there is imp, have you finished that homework you had to do after the mission?" Receiving a nod from the Padawan he smiled and said, "Well, seeing as you don't have classes today, you can have a day off. No training today, unless you want to be included in the delights of baby care."

He was amused when Damien shook his head. "I'll watch Master, and just get to know her from a distance I think. Babies make me uncomfortable."

"Why?" was the question from Harry. Damien shrugged. "They're so small that I'm afraid of dropping them. Why do you think I avoid visiting the crèche at every opportunity?"

Harry laughed and then had a quick shower before coming out dressed in a fresh uniform. Placing a gentle hand on Damien's shoulder he said cheerfully, "Well, no time like the present to get over that fear Padawan, and what better way than by practicing. I won't let you drop her and once you have your hands in the right position then it's quite easy. Come on."

Damien spent the rest of the day with Harry in the infirmary learning to not be afraid of his new "little sister." A steady stream of visitors seemed to come in and out all day, most congratulating the new parents. There were some of the older Jedi Masters that disapproved but a group of Harry's friends among the Knights and Masters quickly saw those Jedi off the premises. Qui-Gon also dropped by, and smiled when Tamsin seemed to like him holding her. Damien then nervously sat down on one of the other beds in the room, with a pillow on his lap. Harry sat down next to him and put Tamsin on the pillow, showing the Padawan how to support her so she didn't fall off or anything. Damien's exclamation of "She's so soft" brought amused smiles to the faces of the adults, and there were many photos taken of the cute moment between the two.

That night, the new family fell asleep very happily. Harry smiled as he made a silent vow to himself that he would never let any harm come to his family. That smile widened as he saw a vision of his little girl all grown up, with Damien beside her, and two other young people that Harry thought might be Anakin's children, on her other side. He rolled over and the vision was lost as he slipped further into sleep. He would not have slept so easily if he had known of plans being made in other areas of Coruscant, plans that would throw his family, and the entire galaxy, into jeopardy.

**Author Note**

**Hi everyone. Thank you for all the reviews you've been writing, it really helps to know that people like this series. In case you're wondering how Ginny could give birth now, when she and Padme told Harry and Anakin that they were pregnant at the same time the answer is simple. Ginny was about a month and a half pregnant when Harry chose Damien as his apprentice, while Padme was only a few weeks pregnant. Therefore, Padme still has another month to month and a half to go. No flaming over the timelines please, I had enough of a headache figuring out the rough one as it is.**

**May the Force be with you**

**Padawan Lynne**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Family and Preparations**

Damien rolled over in bed with a groan as Tamsin whimpered once before breaking out into a full fledged howl. He then buried his head under the pillow as he sensed Harry wake up and see what was wrong. It turned out that Tamsin was hungry, which Damien could understand, but not at 4 in the morning.

In their bedroom, Harry gently picked up his daughter and cradled her in his arms before gently waking Ginny up. Both of them hadn't been quite prepared for the demands of a new baby, although it helped that Tamsin took to eating on a schedule fairly easily.

Harry shook his head as he sensed that Damien had been woken up once again and sighed, his Padawan was being very good about the interrupted sleep but it was taking its toll on him. Hopefully in a few months, Ginny would consent to having Tamsin placed in the crèche with the other Jedi infants. It would be hard on both of them but the creche masters had already told them that they would be allowed to visit as much as they wanted. Harry wasn't all that thrilled with the idea of giving his daughter over to the care of others, even though he knew that Tamsin would be well looked after but he needed to consider Damien as well. His now almost 14 year old apprentice had complained to one of his friends the other day that his "sister" was keeping him awake so much during the night that he couldn't concentrate in classes. This was a worry.

Ginny woke up and accepted Tamsin from Harry, feeding her easily, now that she'd got used to the process. It wasn't long before Tamsin had had enough and settled back to sleep, whereupon Harry put her back in her crib. All of them knew that she would be awake in another few hours for more food. Sighing, Harry got back into bed and went back to sleep.

Later that morning, Damien was eating breakfast when he looked up to see Harry sitting opposite him. Raising an eyebrow the Padawan asked, "Where's Tamsin, she's been glued to you or Ginny almost all the time since she came home."

Harry frowned at his tone of voice; if he didn't know better he would think that Damien was jealous. In an even tone he replied, "Ginny and I are going to have a trial run at leaving Tamsin in the crèche with the other infants. It hasn't escaped us that you're being woken up at night along with us and it's having a detrimental effect on your studies. I won't allow that, no matter how much I love Tamsin."

Damien shrugged. "Fine. It was getting annoying really." Now Harry scowled, he'd thought that Damien was alright with Tamsin but apparently he'd been wrong. "Padawan, I did ask you whether you'd be alright with Tamsin living with us. You said yes you would be. I know it's been stressful and I'm sorry but I won't allow you to take that tone of voice with me. Understand?"

Damien lowered his eyes. He hadn't meant to sound whiny, nor had he meant to make his master annoyed, but he _was_ getting tired of being woken up all the time.

"Yes Master I understand. It's just that I've been feeling somewhat, well, neglected since Tamsin arrived. You've been taking care of her and being with Ginny and I just don't feel that we have the same closeness that we used to."

Harry sat back, his annoyance disappearing as the real reason for his apprentice's distance over the past couple of weeks became clear. Reaching across the table he snagged Damien's braid and gave it a gentle tug.

"Are you finished with breakfast?" he enquired. Seeing Damien nod he pulled Damien up with him and steered him into the common area. Sitting down he pulled Damien down with him, and wrapped an arm round his shoulders.

"I'm sorry Damien; I never meant to make you feel that way. I swore when Tamsin arrived that I wouldn't let her come between you and me but apparently she's managed to do that anyway. I should have made sure that you knew you could talk to me at any time, no matter what I was doing and I'm sorry that I didn't."

Damien nodded. He hadn't expected the apology but appreciated it all the same. "Thanks Master. I could have told you how I was feeling earlier and didn't so it's partially my fault as well. I didn't mean to sound whiny and jealous, I'm not, but it's difficult to see you so preoccupied. I just sort of felt that since she's your daughter and that you and I aren't biologically related that she would come first."

Damien then winced as Harry's hand caught the back of his head firmly before he was forced to look directly into his master's eyes, eyes which held a flicker of true anger before it was replaced by determination.

"Biology has NOTHING to do with it Damien" Harry said firmly. "Just because we aren't related by blood doesn't make us any less a family. The three of us, and Anakin, and my parents, and even Obi-Wan and Mace, are a family, Damien, and nothing can break that up. Yes Tamsin is my biological daughter but you and Anakin are my sons as well, and she will grow up knowing you as her big brother and Anakin as a mixture of brother and perhaps uncle. Blood isn't the only thing which determines family."

Damien nodded and settled down on the couch, content to be close to Harry at the moment, a closeness which he had admittedly missed ever since Tamsin had arrived. Ginny came back into the apartment, having left it to settle Tamsin in the crèche. She looked at Damien and Harry and smiled.

"How are you two feeling?" she questioned softly. Harry smiled at her while Damien wouldn't quite meet her eyes. Frowning slightly, Ginny sat down on his other side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong Damien?" she asked. The Padawan shrugged. "Harry and I just had a talk about family and stuff, and we sorted out why I was feeling so out of sorts."

Ginny nodded. "Neither of us meant to make you feel like you were an outsider Damien. Tamsin seems to be happy in the creche and the creche masters are thrilled to have her so we'll get used to having her living in a different part of the Temple to us. That way we're still a family and you still get the attention from Harry that you're entitled to."

Damien nodded. "Is Tamsin OK?" he asked. Despite the interrupted nights he did care about the little girl, so he was rather upset that he might have forced Harry and Ginny into giving up their baby because of him.

"She'll be fine Damien, and we were going to put her in the crèche at some point anyway, if she's going to be a Jedi then she needs to be treated like the rest of the initiates. It hurts a bit, yes but we'll get used to it in time and so will Tamsin. She will know us as her parents and her family, but the Jedi will also be a huge sort of extended family for her as well. Understand?"

Damien nodded, feeling happier than he had in days. Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance over top of his head and then Harry rose from the couch.

"Get changed and meet me in the training salle in 10 minutes" he said briskly, before heading off for said room himself. Damien brightened; he always enjoyed training with Harry, and wanted to show him what he'd learnt over the past two weeks in classes. Within 8 minutes he was facing Harry in the large room, and they started with a few katas, to warm up and get ready for a spar.

Once they were fully warmed up the match began. Harry lightly went on the offensive, and was surprised and pleased to find that Damien blocked his attacks before driving through a split second gap in his defences and putting Harry on the defensive for a minute or two. It didn't last very long, as Harry was too good a duelist to be beaten by an apprentice but he grinned widely and complimented Damien on finding the gap in the first place.

Damien for his part loved the reconnection that seemed to be happening between him and his master as the duel progressed. The bond between them practically sang with pleasure as they enjoyed the challenge of the fight. Ginny sat and watched, not noticing when Obi-Wan sat down beside her.

"What's going on and where is Tamsin?" the Jedi Master asked softly. Ginny started for a moment and then recovered enough to reply, "Tamsin is in the crèche and Harry and Damien are busy reconnecting with each other."

"Reconnecting?" Obi-Wan asked with a raised eyebrow. Ginny shrugged. "Living with Tamsin has caused Damien to feel like an outsider which we didn't want at all. Therefore, Harry is spending more time with him and both of us have assured him that we never meant for Tamsin to come between them."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand. When I was a Padawan I went with Qui-Gon to visit his family on his homeworld and I ended up feeling like an outsider too, even though Qui-Gon did everything possible to include me. Is Damien going to be OK?"

Ginny shrugged. "I think so. I believe that he was feeling neglected due to Harry spending time getting to know Tamsin. Harry's just reaffirming that Damien is his highest priority." Turning to look at Obi-Wan Ginny asked, "Is there something you wanted or were you just here to watch."

Obi-Wan smirked. "You're too quick for me" he remarked before continuing, "I did need to speak with Harry about those evacuation plans he mentioned a few weeks ago."

"Evacuation plans?" Ginny said sharply. Obi-Wan looked surprised. "He didn't tell you?" he asked, wondering why Harry hadn't shared that bit of information with his wife. Ginny shook her head. "No he didn't. Do you know what they are?"

"Harry gave a rough outline and the Council has spent the last week refining his idea and we wanted the opportunity to discuss the revised plan with him."

"Why are you planning an evacuation anyway?" Ginny asked keeping her attention partially focused on Harry and Damien, who were getting near the end of their match. Obi-Wan sighed. "You'd have to ask Harry for more information but suffice it to say that he's had certain suspicions about Chancellor Palpatine, ever since he was a Padawan himself and a week ago those suspicions were strengthened when he had a dream visit from Voldemort who apparently told him he was right."

"Right about what?" Ginny asked, her heart beginning to beat faster. Obi-Wan looked at her sympathetically and said, "Right about the fact that Palpatine is in fact Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord we've been searching for for years."

It only took Ginny a few minutes to think through the ramifications of what was happening to the galaxy and what might happen to the Jedi Order if Palpatine was a Sith. She looked at Harry and then at Damien.

"So that's why he doesn't like being around Palpatine and complains that his scar hurts whenever he has to be around him. Is there a chance that the Temple could be attacked?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Harry seems to think so and the Council is taking his suggestions seriously. Anakin is still trying to gather concrete evidence of this while keeping himself safe. If the Chancellor is a Sith then he'll try to convert Anakin using any means necessary."

Ginny nodded and then shivered slightly. This was serious. She looked up as a towel landed on top of her. Glaring in the direction of the person who threw it she found her glare directed at Harry. He smirked before levitating the towel onto the bench beside her. Damien had disappeared into the changing room and came out quarter of an hour later to find Ginny and Harry locked in a mock battle where Harry was doing his best to defend himself from the hexes and curses his wife was throwing at him. Ginny wasn't angry with Harry, she just wanted to know why Harry had kept the evacuation plans secret from her. Harry was ducking and dodging, and occasionally absorbing the curses as he tried to explain his reasons. Damien merely sat on the bench and watched the show. It wasn't often that he got to see Harry and Ginny playing around like this. All too soon the mock battle ended and the two combatants separated, Ginny to go to the infirmary for her shift, and Harry disappeared into the changing room for a quick shower.

When he came out he tugged Damien up off the bench and then walked along the corridors of the Temple, with no specific destination in mind until Damien asked, "Master, can we visit the old Temple?"

Harry was surprised at the request but he'd been meaning to check it out himself so he changed direction and took Damien to see it. While Damien had fun exploring the old Temple, Harry was checking its suitability as a safe house of sorts for the Jedi if the worst came to pass and the Temple was attacked.

"What are you thinking of Master?" Damien asked when he noticed Harry frowning over something near the door they'd entered by. Harry looked over at him and then smiled. "Just thinking about something."

"What?" Damien questioned. Harry looked at his Padawan, before deciding that he could tell him the basics. "Sit down Damien; we might as well be comfortable." They sat on the floor, getting as comfortable as possible before Harry began.

"You need to keep this absolutely secret Damien." Receiving a nod from his apprentice Harry continued, "The Council and I believe that Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord. If that is true then the Jedi could very well be in grave danger."

"Why are you telling me this Master, I mean, not that I mind but I don't think they'd be happy with you telling me" Damien said, confused. Harry smiled slightly. "I'm telling you because if the Temple is attacked, I want you to come here. I'm planning on spelling the door through which we entered in a way that will make it impenetrable to any hostile force and so it will only be able to be opened from the inside after its shut. It will be spelled so sound cannot be heard outside the room."

"So this is an escape route" Damien said. Harry made a "sort of" gesture with his hand and answered, "Well, technically it's a safe place to wait until the all clear is given. At the moment the Council is debating on whether to create a mass series of Portkeys to take the Order to a safe planet until the danger is over. I was considering Yavin 4 actually."

Damien nodded eyes wide. "Will you be in danger?" he asked. Harry smiled again this time somewhat sadly. "It is quite likely that I will be asked to be on the team that goes to arrest the Chancellor if our suspicions are proven correct. I've handled Dark Lords before but this is the ultimate one so I'm not certain how things would turn out. What you need to know is this though, I will do my absolute best to survive, and you know what my best is like."

Damien chuckled and then responded with "Yeah, that Sith won't know what hit him. Can I talk about it with Anakin?"

Harry shook his head. "Best not to. He knows about the general plans but he's in close contact with Palpatine so it's best not to give too many specific details. Don't talk about it with anyone except me or Obi-Wan alright."

"OK Master. Can we have a bit more of a look around or should we head back up to the main section of the Temple?"

Harry shrugged. "Whatever you want Damien."

The Padawan looked surprised. "What about Tamsin?" Harry looked at his apprentice before replying, "I can't spend every moment with her, and besides, I don't want to leave you out again. If you want to wander up to the crèche to see her then that's fine, I was planning on going later on today while you were at that test."

Damien shrugged before getting off the floor and walking towards the door. "I do want to see her Master and I think that you need to learn to balance me with her. I'm not going to break if you spend some time with her, just as long as you don't forget that I'm around."

Damien then stopped and sucked in a breath as what he'd said registered in his brain. He began to stammer apologies only to have Harry hold up a hand, as he was laughing too hard to stop. "Don't, don't apologise Damien, I like it that you're feel comfortable enough to be so blunt with me. Don't do it round others but in private, if you need to vent like that then don't stop on my account."

Damien stared at his master in shock. He knew that he should by all rights have been punished for essentially telling his master off like that but Harry seemed to not mind too much. With a happier expression on his face, and accompanied by a still chuckling Harry, he made his way up to the crèche.

They stepped into the creche and were immediately assaulted by lots of tiny younglings who seemed determined to crush the Master and Padawan. Damien was highly uncomfortable but Harry immediately crouched down and seemed not to mind that he had younglings hanging off every arm and leg, and a couple wrapped round his waist. One had managed to scramble up his body and was hanging from his neck.

Harry finally managed to detach his little hanger ons and turned to see Damien on the floor, covered with little bodies. All that was visible was his face.

"Help!" Damien pleaded, not liking the sparkle of amusement in his master's eyes. Harry merely laughed and looked round for a camera. "Darn, no camera" he said with a chuckle. Damien was now struggling to free himself from the mass of toddlers and was nearing panic as when he made one let go another 3 took their place.

Finally Harry stopped being amused and helped pluck toddlers off his apprentice. Damien brushed himself off and muttered, "Now do you see why I don't like it here?" Harry nodded, he supposed it would be rather frightening to be buried alive in a sea of little bodies that were no respecters of dignity. He pulled Damien through into the baby section of the crèche and stopped at Tamsin's crib.

The little girl was awake and gurgled happily when she caught sight of her father and her "brother." Damien looked at Harry, before reaching into the cot and gingerly lifting her out of it. He held her for a few minutes, before handing her to Harry, watching the smile that lit up Harry's eyes whenever he held her. For a moment he was jealous again but then remembered what Harry had told him of his childhood. It made sense that Harry would want to show as much love and affection towards his child as possible. He then remembered that Harry showed him just as much affection as he showed Tamsin, just in a different way.

Harry looked at Damien; his expression wasn't hard to read. He saw the slight narrowing of the eyes, and felt the flash of jealousy before he sensed that the Padawan had come to a realization, one that allowed the jealousy to fade completely. He locked eyes with his apprentice and finally saw acceptance of the situation. A small smile crossed Harry's face, which drew an answering smile from Damien, before Harry shifted Tamsin so Damien could touch her as well, and then together, they put her back in the crib and left, both happy that they knew where they stood with each other. They were almost back at their apartment when Anakin came running up.

"The Chancellor's discovered the location of General Grievous."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Grievous' End and Plans**

Harry's eyes had widened slightly upon hearing that General Grievous had been found. The alien/droid hybrid had been responsible for the deaths of four Jedi Knights and he kept their lightsabers as trophies, which sickened the Jedi Order to no end. The news that he had been found was heartening, but what to do about it.

"Have you heard who's being sent after him?" Harry asked as he walked beside Anakin up to the Council chamber. Damien had gone to the dining hall for dinner but not before making Harry promise that he would eat sometime that evening. The Padawan knew that when his master got involved with something it was far too easy for him to forget to eat while doing it. The combined force of Ginny and Lily had managed to somewhat cure him of this but he still slipped occasionally.

Anakin shook his head in response to the question before saying, "No I haven't. The Council will decide who to send I suppose, although the Chancellor was busy stroking my ego by saying I was the best choice and he doubted the wisdom of the Council if they didn't send me, and other stuff."

Harry looked at him with raised eyebrows. "How are you holding up with all those meetings?" he queried. He trusted Anakin but even the best of Jedi were tempted at times and he knew that Palpatine could be very persuasive when he wanted to be.

Anakin shook his head again. "He's a manipulative old sod" he growled. "First he attacks Padme's character, and then he tries to turn me into an egotistical prat. Now he's trying to set us against each other, or at least me against the rest of the Order. What next I wonder?"

Harry chuckled shortly. "I take it from that mini rant that he's not succeeding." Anakin laughed equally shortly before saying "He's succeeding alright, in getting me to do the exact opposite of what he wants."

The two Jedi smirked in unison before they arrived at the doors to the Council Chamber. Looking at each other, they calmed themselves and then opened the doors and went inside. Once inside they sat down on two of the chairs, as Harry had been elevated to the Council upon the death of one of the members earlier that year over all his protests, while Anakin was taking advantage of a comfortable seat for the meeting.

They were the last two to arrive and once they were seated, the meeting began. The news that Grievous was on Utapau was met with skepticism until Anakin mentioned the information came from a partial message inside a diplomatic package from the Utapau chairman. After a bit of discussion, the question of who to send came up.

Anakin swallowed before saying, "The Chancellor has requested that I lead the mission." The other Council members frowned before Mace responded with, "The Council will make up its own mind on who to send, not the Chancellor."

Anakin nodded. "I understand that Master Windu and I wasn't saying that I agree with him. I was merely making the Council aware of the Chancellor's wishes." He looked round to see the reaction of the rest of the Council. Most had no visible reaction and Anakin slowly allowed himself to relax.

Eeth Koth then leaned forward and said, "If you don't agree with the Chancellor, Knight Skywalker, then who would you suggest we send?"

Anakin frowned. "Master Koth, with all due respect, I'm not a member of the Council so I shouldn't have any say in your decision. If you're asking for my opinion though, I'd recommend either Master Kenobi or Master Potter."

The Council looked towards the two aforementioned Jedi, for their reactions. Harry was deep in thought while Obi-Wan merely looked interested that Anakin would have suggested him. Finally Harry spoke. "I would respectfully decline the mission, Masters; I feel that the Force wants me here, on Coruscant for some reason. Obi-Wan is perfectly capable of capturing, or possibly killing Grievous if it comes to that."

The rest of the Council nodded before Mace said, "All in favor of sending Master Kenobi to deal with Grievous?" A chorus of "Aye" met him and Obi-Wan nodded in acceptance of the assignment.

"Any other business?" Mace asked. Ki Adi Mundi was the one to bring up the next issue, this being the Separatist droid attacks on the Wookies. This issue was solved neatly as well, with Yoda being sent to Kashyyk due to him having good relations with the Wookies. It took all of Anakin's considerable self control to keep from breaking down in laughter when he received a mental comment from Harry that amounted to "I wonder what Master Yoda means by "good relations" exactly."

A couple of days later Harry, Anakin and Mace were in the war room of the Temple, a room that was part of the Intelligence division and used for keeping an eye on how the war was going. They were busy discussing the possible outcomes of Grievous' destruction as they all knew that the leader of the droid army would not allow himself to be captured.

"If Grievous is destroyed then the Separatists won't have a leader any more. Without their leader they will be relatively easy to round up and the Senate will be able to take back those emergency powers they gave Palpatine" Anakin was saying.

Harry made an affirmative noise before replying, "Yes but Anakin, he's a Sith. He won't give up those powers on his own, and if he is arrested, then the Senate will fall into chaos."

"The Jedi Council would have to take control of the Senate in order to ensure a peaceful transition during the election for a new Chancellor" Mace said, heading off the brewing argument between Harry and Anakin. Both younger Jedi looked at him and then Harry frowned.

"What is it Harry?" Anakin asked. Harry shook his head. "Have you considered that this might be what he wants us to think? If our arrest of him fails then he could very well say that we were committing treason. That would turn the whole Republic against us."

"What about that petition that Senators Organa and Amidala were organizing?" Mace asked. Harry looked towards Anakin, who had been with Palpatine when the petition was presented. The Knight shook his head.

"No go I'm afraid. He didn't listen in the slightest, just told them that they should trust his judgement and everything would turn out OK."

Both Anakin and Mace turned to look at Harry as he chuckled and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Dumbledore" under his breath. Upon seeing his companions' raised eyebrows he shrugged. "Whenever I disagreed with something that Dumbledore said or did, he would twinkle at me with that damned twinkling gaze of his and then say that I shouldn't worry about whatever I was worried about, because he would take care of it. What Palpatine said to the Senators sounded like a variation of that theme."

Mace nodded in agreement and Anakin huffed in annoyance before growling, "Well what the hell are we going to do about it then?"

"We are going to continue to prepare our emergency plans. Are the Portkeys in place?" Harry asked, reaching out with the Force and attempting to soothe Anakin. It partially worked; as soon as Anakin realized what Harry was trying to do he reined in his frustration and calmed himself.

"Yes they are. They just need the activation word and they'll take whoever's touching them to the hiding place. I tested them myself yesterday" Mace replied promptly before asking, "What about the door?"

Harry smirked. "That will be finished by the end of today Mace. It will have spells on it so the clones won't notice it if they come in here but to any Jedi it will be as clear as day."

"Where is it?" Anakin asked. Harry looked at him and then sighed. "I can't tell you Anakin." Seeing the hurt and outraged look on Anakin's face he said, "It's not that I don't trust you, but I'm wary of Palpatine finding the location through you. Besides, this is an escape route for the Initiates, Padawans and other Knights and Masters in the Temple should it be attacked. You know that most Knights and Masters, as well as most Padawans are out in the field at the moment. The Initiates and their instructors are the ones in most danger if an attack is launched here."

"What happens if the clones are ordered to turn on the Jedi out in the field?" Anakin asked. Harry smiled mirthlessly. "That has been taken care of too Anakin. You've seen the rings that the Knights, Masters and Padawans that go on field missions are given?"

"Yes, what are they?" Anakin asked. Harry smirked. "They are miniature Portkeys, designed to take them to the hiding place when they're triggered. I thought of everything possible Anakin."

Sighing, Anakin nodded, accepting the fact that he couldn't know any more about the emergency plans that Harry had implemented with the help of the Council. He knew that Harry trusted him but had good reason to be wary of Palpatine. Finally he looked up and asked, "So what do we do now?"

Mace, who had been silent while Harry explained the emergency plans, said "Now we wait to hear from Obi-Wan. If he manages to kill Grievous then you will go to the Chancellor and tell him. Find out if he's a Sith Lord. If he is then we will arrest him."

"I could go now Master. Then we won't have to wait to arrest him when Grievous is destroyed" Anakin said. Mace and Harry exchanged looks before Mace agreed. Anakin headed off to the Senate while the two Jedi Masters were left with worried looks on their faces.

Obi-Wan had been having a bad time on Utapau. Fighting a four limbed opponent was bad enough, fighting one that could use a lightsaber in all four of said limbs was pure hell. He managed to get the lightsabers away from the droid as his clone troops showed up before having to pursue the Separatist army leader astride a large lizard.

He followed Grievous to a medium sized landing platform. He and Grievous fought and Obi-Wan winced when he forgot that in a fight between metal and human flesh, metal will win.

'Oh SHIT that hurt' he thought, as he attempted to kick Grievous in the knee joint of one of his legs and forgot that the leg was metal.

'I'm sure I just cracked my shin' the Jedi Master thought as he was thrown through the air to land painfully by a ship that was on the platform. When Grievous hauled him upright Obi-Wan scowled and dodged the punch, noticing that the metal of the ship's hull was now dented.

'Definitely didn't want that hitting me' he thought as he grabbed hold of the armor protecting Grievous' internal organs and pulled, bending the metal away to expose the heart and lungs.

Grievous was understandably annoyed at this and threw Obi-Wan over the ledge of the landing platform. Obi-Wan caught hold of the edge and hung there, determined to finish the monster once and for all.

'Where's Harry when you need him' Obi-Wan thought, thinking that he could have done with his brother's help right now. A little magic might have distracted Grievous long enough for Obi-Wan to pull himself back up.

'Oh well, no use wishing for things that aren't going to happen' he thought as he pulled himself up and rested his elbows and forearms on the platform, grimly amused at the thought that when he was a Padawan he used to hate exercises that involved him pulling his body weight up and resting it on his arms, in order to build strength. Now those hated exercises had saved his life, and in truth had saved his life on more than one occasion in the past.

Spying the abandoned blaster, Obi-Wan summoned it to him with the Force and then aimed it carefully at the approaching alien/droid. His first shot caught Grievous right where he wanted, in the open space in his armor. Grievous looked at the Jedi in shock, his innards already smoking. Obi-Wan aimed and then fired again, and again, and again, until Grievous collapsed to the ground, smoke rising from his burnt remains. Hauling himself up over the ledge and back onto firm footing, Obi-Wan looked at the blaster and then threw it down in disgust.

"How uncivilized" he muttered. It was time to retrieve his lightsaber, and inform the Jedi Temple that his mission was successful, before heading back to Coruscant.

Anakin was meeting with the Chancellor and was getting more and more suspicious. Palpatine was spouting all sorts of things about him learning the power of the Dark Side and saving his family. Finally he'd had enough. Drawing his lightsaber he activated it, it's humming and brilliant blue light strangely reassuring.

"You're the Sith Lord" he said, raising his lightsaber slightly. Palpatine paused. "Yes I am. Listen to me Anakin. If you continue the way you are, you'll be nothing more than a pawn of the Jedi Council for the rest of your life. Don't do that. Let me help you, let me show you the way to achieving power beyond your wildest dreams."

Anakin growled. "Better a pawn of the Light than a slave to the Dark" he growled. "I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi Council. I'm a lot surer of their intentions than I am of yours." Seeing the look in Palpatine's eyes he hissed out, "Don't even think of messing with my family to get me to join you, I won't stand for it and neither will Harry."

Palpatine smirked. "Oh I will have you Skywalker. You won't be able to avoid your destiny forever you know. Potter should have taught you that at the very least. You won't be able to resist, you'll give yourself to the Dark Side and then, and then you'll be mine."

Anakin shivered and all but fled the Senate, flying back to the Jedi Temple with no regard for the road rules. Flying into the hangar he saw Harry, Mace, Eeth Koth and Kit Fisto walking towards a transport. He leapt out of the ship and ran to them.

"Palpatine is a Sith Lord, he just told me. He's very powerful, he won't give up his power that easily. Let me help you arrest him."

Harry shook his head even as Mace turned and said, "No Anakin, you will stay here. The Chancellor wants you, if you come with us we'd be giving him access to what he wants most. Stay here."

Anakin shook his head and looked pleadingly at Harry. Harry looked back at him and then walked forward, putting his hands on Anakin's shoulders.

"Anakin. I know it's difficult to stay behind, but I have an important task for you here. I have told Damien what's going on, he knows what I'm going out to help with, and he knows that there is a possibility that I might not come back. I want you to promise me that you will stay with him now, and that, should something happen and I don't come back, that you will look after him."

Anakin rocked backwards as the enormity of what Harry was saying sank in. He searched the familiar green eyes in front of his and saw absolute seriousness in them. "You, you want me to train him if you die" he said faintly. Harry nodded. "Yes Anakin, that is exactly what I want. But to do that, you need to stay here, with him. He'll want to help me, he'll want to do exactly what you do now, but you both have to stay here."

Anakin nodded, stepping back and looking Harry in the eye. "I will Harry. You'd better not die though; I'd do a terrible job of training him."

Harry smirked and then replied, "I thought we'd fixed that self esteem problem a long time ago Anakin." Mace snorted before replying, "You did, a bit too well I think."

All the Jedi in the area snorted in brief amusement before Mace became serious again. Fixing Anakin with a stern look he said, "You and Damien will wait in the Council Chamber until we return."

"Yes Master" Anakin replied, watching as the transport took off, headed towards the Senate. He shivered as a feeling of foreboding swept over him as he went to collect his "little brother" and carry out his instructions. All the while he tried not to think that he might have had the last conversation he would ever have with Harry.

As he and Damien settled down in the Council chamber, Harry, followed by Mace, Eeth Koth and Kit Fisto was walking towards his second confrontation with a Dark Lord, only this time he wasn't at all sure of the outcome.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Fateful Decisions**

Harry walked into Palpatine's office and stood next to Mace. The two of them were flanked by Kit Fisto and Eeth Koth, and all four Jedi were blocking the door so the Sith Lord in front of them couldn't escape.

Harry winced as his scar gave a vicious twinge, being this close to Sidious was giving him a major headache. Growling inwardly he tightened his mental shields and forced the pain away, not willing to let anyone in the room, and especially not Sidious, know how he was feeling.

Sidious looked at them and smirked. "I take it General Grievous has been destroyed, given that four Jedi Masters are paying me a visit. You're here much sooner than expected."

All the Jedi narrowed their eyes and Mace then replied, "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest Chancellor."

Sidious stood up slowly. His face twisted briefly and an expression of hate twisted it but then he relaxed. In a deliberate tone he stated, "Really. Tell me, how can you arrest me in the Senate's name when I AM the Senate?"

Mace smirked. "Not yet. And you won't be, because the Senate will be deciding your fate, not looking to you to lead it."

Sidious growled and then whispered, "It's treason then" before a lightsaber shot into his hand. Harry had half a second to process the fact that Sidious had a weapon before the Sith landed in front of the Jedi wall.

Kit died when Sidious used a fencing type of move and thrust his weapon through his heart. Eeth Koth tried taking off his head but got cut in half for the trouble. That left just Mace and Harry alone to face the most dangerous opponent they'd ever faced.

Mace was worried. Outwardly he didn't show it and was cool and calm as he and Harry fought together like the seasoned team they were, but he couldn't help knowing that in the matter of fighting Dark Lords, Harry was more experienced than he was. He blocked a slash to his middle and then let out a silent cheer as Harry kicked Palpatine in the head.

Palpatine staggered backwards and then rounded on the Jedi that had dared to assault him. Harry drew him away from Mace, fighting Sidious easily but not letting his guard down for an instant. Although Harry was the better fighter, Sidious was using the Dark Side to help him and the Force was confused and clouded in the room, as Light and Dark fought each other.

Mace came up behind Sidious and attempted to skewer him through the heart. In response, Sidious let out a blast of Force lightning that sent Mace flying through the air, hitting the wall and ending up rather dazed on the floor. Having taken one opponent out he turned back to Harry and continued his attack, helped by the fact that Harry had stopped upon seeing his friend and mentor be taken down with seeming ease. Shaking his head, Harry deftly sidestepped to avoid the Sith Lord's latest move and growled. Sidious smirked. "What's the matter Potter? Only just realizing that I'm too strong for you? Too bad you won't be around to see me finally claim what is mine!"

"What would that be?" Harry snarled his eyes flashing in a way that those who truly knew him, knew was a warning sign. Sidious smiled unpleasantly and then said, "Why, the Chosen One of course. I'll finally get my hands on Skywalker and you won't be able to do a thing to stop me."

"Over my dead body" Harry snarled, before he kicked Sidious in the side and drove the older man a few steps back. Drawing his wand Harry cast a rapid series of spells, designed to incapacitate and hurt Sidious. He was working up the nerve to cast the Avada Kedavra curse, as a way to end the fight, when a blast of Force lightning caught him off guard. Unable to block it he fell to one knee, groaning as the electricity washed over him.

Sidious looked at Harry in satisfaction. 'Finally, I'll have Potter out of my way and Anakin will be mine. He won't resist, he wants the power, I just have to de-brainwash him first.'

Ending the torture Sidious walked round Harry and then said conversationally, "You really have been quite annoying you know. First you disable and kill Maul, and then you stand in my way of getting to know Anakin. Now, you continually try to prevent me from having him. I wouldn't be doing this to you if you would just stay out of my way."

Harry spat a bit of blood out of his mouth, as well as a tooth. He looked up with an insolent grin and then replied, "Glad to be of service. You really should have talked to Voldemort before trying to take me on, you would have found out some interesting facts about me."

Sidious glared at him. "Who is Voldemort and why should I have talked to him?" he snarled. Harry shrugged and then looked upwards before saying, "Voldemort? Would you mind telling this idiot that his grand plans aren't going to work?"

Sidious looked at Harry and shook his head. 'It's no fun to torture an insane opponent' he thought before stepping back in shock as a ghostly apparition formed between him and Harry.

"You called Potter?" Voldemort said lazily. Harry smirked. "Yes I did. The idiot behind you is Darth Sidious, and he seems intent on taking over the galaxy. He doesn't seem to understand why his plans keep failing."

Voldemort examined the Sith Lord before shrugging. "Darth Sidious I presume" he said. Sidious nodded, too shocked to speak. "I am Lord Voldemort, or should I say, I am the _former_ Lord Voldemort. I tried taking over Earth when I was alive, and Potter here kept standing in my way too."

"So how did you deal with him" Sidious growled. Voldemort shrugged again. "I didn't. I made the mistake of messing with his friends and family and now look where I am. Dead. My advice is go take over somewhere far far away from Potter if you want to live."

Sidious snarled. "I've put far too much effort into my plans to have them ruined by one overly nosy, pushy, interfering JEDI!" With that he turned the full power of his Dark Side abilities on Harry who just barely had time to roll out of the way of the first blast of Force lightning.

Rolling to his feet, Harry caught the second blast on his lightsaber blade, and it was a really interesting effect, seeing the blue lightning playing around the silver blade. Now it was a battle of wills and Harry was winning. The lightning rebounded on its caster and Sidious started to fry. When he finally stopped casting, Harry lowered his lightsaber a bit but didn't let go of it.

"Oh very well done" Voldemort commented from behind him. Harry sighed. "Why are you still here Tom?" he asked. Voldemort silently appeared beside him and then said, "I wanted to see the outcome of the battle."

Harry snorted before leaping away as Sidious proved he wasn't spent after all and lunged at him with his lightsaber activated once more. The battle was going ill for Harry as Sidious kept distracting him from fighting with random blasts of Force lightning. Finally Harry was sent flying against the wall and hit the back of his head hard. Dazed, he looked up as Sidious walked closer to him, rolling Harry's lightsaber out of reach. He was just about to kill him when a purple blade gave him a rather close haircut.

Whirling round he saw Mace standing behind him, blade raised and ready to fight once more. Ignoring Harry for the moment Sidious attacked Mace, while Harry recovered. It didn't take long before Sidious found himself at the mercy of both Jedi, the purple and silver blades crossed at his throat. He leaned his head back and yelled, "GUARDS!"

The red robed guards that were his personal bodyguards came rushing into the room. Harry and Mace exchanged a glance as Sidious drove them back with more Force lightning attacks. The guards quickly surrounded them and started attacking with their large weapons. Harry ducked one attack, and killed the guard next to him, while Mace took on two at once and won. They were almost finished with the guards when Sidious decided to enter the fray once more. This time he had the advantage as his opponents were more tired than he was, despite the help from the Force. Even so, two to one odds wasn't good, especially when the two were two of the best Jedi in the Order. Sidious threw Harry out of the way with a bit of help from the Dark Side and then sliced off Mace's right hand. As Mace screamed in pain, Sidious was knocked to the ground by a vicious kick from Harry. Mace walked backwards a bit, knowing that he wasn't going to be much help to Harry now. Harry kept Sidious at bay and hissed, "Go now. Healers will be waiting, they set everything up yesterday!"

"Are you sure Harry? I don't like leaving you here alone" Mace hissed back, groaning as he accidentally bumped his injured arm. Harry glared at him. "I took down Voldemort, and Dooku, and Maul. I'll be fine, and if not, well I'm not the one that's prophesied to destroy him am I."

Mace nodded before holding the portkey in his good hand and whispering, "Sanctuary." As he disappeared, the last thing he saw was Sidious renewing his attack on Harry, via more Force lightning.

"And now, to bring Skywalker to me" Sidious said almost cheerfully. Harry looked up at his nemesis from his position by the now open gap where the window used to be and spat, "He'll never come!" Sidious raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes he will. He'd do anything for his beloved "father." He will come in order to save you from death."

Harry closed his eyes, it was true. Anakin wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him, not if he could prevent it. Opening his eyes again he growled, "If he does come I'll take great pleasure in watching him kick your ass into the nearest black hole you scheming, manipulative bastard!"

Harry glared at Sidious and then he had an idea. Drawing his wand he transfigured the nearby debris into a large cobra.

_Bite him _he hissed to his creation, indicating Sidious as he did so. The cobra hissed an agreement and started sliding towards the Sith Lord. Sidious had heard his opponent hiss something but didn't understand it for what it was. Thus, when he heard a menacing hissing from behind him he was understandably shocked to see a large snake where previously there had been none. He didn't allow himself to be shocked for long though, and as the cobra struck at him, he sliced its head off.

Turning back to Harry, he growled and said, "Enough of this!" before casting a full strength burst of Force lightning. Harry's eyes rolled back in his head and he screamed, the pain was worse than a hundred Cruciatus curses at once. In a last act of desperation he closed the bond with Damien. Sidious might be able to hurt him but he was damned if he was going to let his Padawan experience this as well.

In the Council chamber back at the Jedi Temple, a small group had formed. Anakin had taken Damien there as soon as he'd collected him from his apartment, and the two had spent some time talking, mostly about Harry. Now the group of two had expanded to include Ginny, James, Lily and Qui-Gon. Snape was also there, having chosen that week to have another visit.

"So what was Harry like as a kid?" Damien asked. This was directed mainly at Ginny and Snape as they were the only ones of the present group that had been around Harry when he was growing up. Ginny smiled and replied, "Much like he is now really. He had less control of his temper then but his core values, those things that make him Harry Potter haven't changed. He was very awkward with girls, and didn't like praise or his fame very much. He tried to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible, with the exception of Quidditch. Why do you ask?"

Damien shrugged. "I've finished all my homework so I thought I'd do some more research, into Harry's past." The group all looked at each other with raised eyebrows and Damien huffed. "Honestly, what's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing, nothing, it's just interesting that you'd choose now to ask. Wouldn't Harry be the best person to ask?" James answered. Damien flushed slightly and wouldn't look anyone in the eye when he replied, "Well, I sorta blew that one before I even started."

At the raised eyebrows from his audience the now nearly 14 year old winced and then muttered, "I took a look in his Pensieve alright. When he yanked me out he looked torn between yelling at me and letting me off. He kept muttering something about hypocrites."

Snape snorted. "It's not surprising really." At Damien's enquiring look he said, "He could hardly yell at you when he did the same thing when he was a student."

"Let me guess, he looked in yours?" Damien asked. Snape nodded. This earned a shrug from the Padawan and a comfortable silence fell. The view from the windows was breathtaking, although Anakin's and Damien's gazes seemed fixed mostly on the Senate building in the distance.

Damien suddenly gasped and fell off the chair, curling up on the floor as he shook with pain. In an instant, Anakin was kneeling beside him, trying to hold him still. Lily and Ginny were scanning him rapidly and finding nothing really wrong apart from his head.

"What's wrong Damien?" Anakin asked urgently. He could sense that it had something to do with Harry, the remnants of his own bond with the Jedi Master were sore and painful, but he needed to know specifics.

Damien opened his eyes, and Anakin could see deep pain in them. The Padawan then clung to his older brother and whimpered, "Harry, he's in pain, so much pain. Something's wrong, he's hurt. We need to go and help him."

Anakin closed his eyes, before opening them and saying, "No Damien. We're going nowhere. Harry told us to stay here."

Damien struggled out of Anakin's grasp and stood unsteadily. "You don't understand, Palpatine is hurting him, he AAHHHH!!!"

Damien fell to the floor once again and it was only Snape's quick action that saved the Padawan from another concussion. The Potions Master gently but firmly restrained the now weakly struggling apprentice and said, "What happened?"

Damien looked round at them all, his expression scared and pained. "He, he closed the bond. He's never done that before."

The non Jedi looked to Anakin for an explanation. The Knight gestured for Snape to hand Damien to him which Snape did quickly. Anakin settled on the floor, with Damien in his lap, just holding him until Damien was calm enough to listen to him.

"Damien, if Harry's in as much pain as you say he is then he must have closed the bond to stop you from hurting as well."

Damien glared at Anakin and snapped, "I know that, but we need to go to him NOW! Before he dies!"

Anakin shook his head again. "I will repeat Damien, WE are going nowhere." Standing up, and ignoring the betrayed look in Damien's eyes, he said, "You are staying right here. I will be going to rescue Harry."

He was then almost knocked over by an enthusiastic hug from Damien. "Thank you thank you thank you" he repeated over and over. Anakin extricated himself from Damien's grasp and pushed him gently into the nearest chair.

"Stay here. I will be in enough trouble with Harry for leaving you here. He'd have my head if you followed me. Understand?" Damien nodded, and Anakin turned to the group. Looking at them he said, "Look after him for me" before concentrating hard. With a gigantic CRACK! he apparated away, landing just in Palpatine's office where Harry and Palpatine were trading insults after the latest round of torture.

Harry looked up in shock as the CRACK! of the apparition faded. He knew only one Jedi could have done that, apart from him and his suspicions were proved right when a familiar voice spoke from behind Sidious.

"Let him go!"

Sidious turned to see Anakin Skywalker standing in front of him, his eyes hard and cold, and his lightsaber already ignited. The two stood staring at one another for a few minutes before Sidious smiled.

"Good Anakin, you're here. I don't need to play with my little toy any longer. Unfortunately it's a bit broken so I'll have to dispose of it" he said before casually raising his lightsaber blade and bringing it down towards Harry's neck.

The red blade was stopped by blue as Anakin moved in a blur, levitating Harry out of harm's way and standing between him and Sidious. The Sith didn't seem fazed by this and instead started dueling Anakin, seeing how strong a fighter he was.

Harry watched in shock as Anakin dueled Sidious, hardly able to believe that Anakin had broken his word in order to save him. He was grateful for the help but really, if Anakin had brought Damien with him then he was going to kill him.

The duel was fast and vicious, but finally Anakin won. He stood above Sidious, his blade pointed at the Sith's throat. He was about to end things when Sidious lashed out with the Force, throwing Anakin backwards. The Knight immediately moved back towards him, wanting to end the fight with a minimum of bloodshed. Wasting no time, Sidious fought him back, struggling to block Anakin's lightning fast attacks. Taking advantage of a momentary stumble on Anakin's part, Sidious sent a burst of Force lightning at him and then levitated Harry's still somewhat dazed form up, ignoring the struggles that Harry made with his own Force ability, before he casually dropped him out the window.

Anakin watched with horror as Harry fell out of sight. He then shook his head as he felt a familiar wave of anger rise in him. It was familiar because it was the same wave he'd felt at 19 years old, when his mother had died. Then, he had lost control of it. Now though, he controlled the anger, let it pass through him and calmed himself again. Glaring at the Sith he growled out, "That was a large mistake you just made."

Sidious smirked. "Not really. Now you can join me, as your destiny dictates you will."

Anakin shook his head again. "Never" he snarled. Sidious smiled at him and then lashed out with Force lightning once more. This attack was more powerful and Anakin couldn't block it in time. He collapsed to the floor, feeling the electricity surging through him. Pain was all he knew for a few minutes until the attack stopped. He stiffened as he felt a foreign presence in his mind and lashed out mentally.

Sidious had used the Force lightning attacks to weaken not only Anakin's physical abilities but also his mental defences. He had succeeded in gaining entry to Anakin's mind but was now waging a mental war for control and he couldn't use a physical attack while being in his victim's mind.

Anakin shoved Sidious out with all the force he could muster but before he could rebuild the fortress walls in his mind another attack weakened him enough that Sidious re entered and this time Anakin couldn't stop him.

Fighting every step of the way, using all the mental traps and defences that he'd built in when he'd first built his shields, Anakin was shoved further and further back in his own mind, until he'd reached a small room where he stored miscellaneous memories or junk. Fortunately Anakin had put the remnants of his bond with Harry in there as well so Sidious wouldn't find it. Sidious shoved him in there and then locked the door before building a mental wall around the room so that Anakin couldn't escape. A peculiarity of the wall ensured that while Anakin couldn't influence his body in any way, he could still hear and understand everything that was going on. It was his body, but his mind was now firmly under the control of Darth Sidious. Sidious then unlocked Anakin's Dark Side and retreated from his new apprentice's mind.

"Now, you will join me and we will rule the galaxy. First though, you need a new name. From now on, you will be known as Darth Vader" Sidious pronounced. Frowning at the lack of response from his new apprentice, he asked, "Aren't you going to say something?"

To Anakin's horror, his body, under the control of the new personality in his mind that was named Darth Vader knelt and his voice said firmly, "Thank you Master. What are we going to do next?"

Neither Sidious nor Vader noticed the black falcon that was perched quietly in a dark corner of the office, listening as Sidious outlined his plan for finally bringing the galaxy under his control, plans that started with the destruction of the Jedi Order.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Repercussions**

Once Sidious had finished giving his orders to Vader, Harry silently flew out the window and landed on an abandoned landing platform nearby, transforming back slowly. The Force lightning had weakened him enough that the transformation was slower than usual but still possible. In order to heal fully, Harry would have to be in a healing trance that night and there was a good chance that he would be ordered into a bacta tank as soon as he reached Yavin 4.

'First though, I have to stop the destruction of the Order and save Anakin. Why oh why couldn't he do as he was told!' Harry thought as he took his comlink out of its pouch on his belt.

Tahl took the call that was coming in, the blinking red light marking it as urgent. "Yes Harry" she said, upon identifying who it was. Harry spoke only one word.

"Evacuate!"

Tahl rocked backwards in her chair. "You're sure?" she hissed. Harry growled and replied, "YES! Every second we waste is vital. Get the younglings out of that building, and everyone else as well. Palpatine is sending clones to the Temple right now, with orders to kill every Jedi in the building."

Tahl cut the connection and pressed the button that would sound the general alarm throughout the Temple. With that done she looked out the window and saw a tall figure leading thousands of clone troops towards the Temple. A few minutes later an explosion told her that the front door was wide open. Gathering all sensitive current information she locked everything else down, and set a delayed timer to wipe the hard drives. She had back up copies in her safe, which she opened now. With the back up copies safely in her pockets she joined the orderly rush to the safety of the older Temple rooms, and the Portkeys that would take them all to safety.

In the Council chamber, Damien had fallen asleep but he was woken by the explosion. Blinking sleepily he heard the door open and a group of young Padawans ran in. Shivering, they crouched behind the chairs, their eyes wide and scared.

Damien frowned before realizing that the attack that his master had feared must be happening. Taking a swift look out the door he saw the clones flooding through the corridors and knew that the route to the Portkeys was now cut off. Thinking quickly he shut the doors again and jammed them, locking him and the Padawans in. He hoped the clones couldn't get through the doors otherwise they'd all be dead.

Sinking onto the floor he tried calming the frightened children down, while pushing aside the little voice that insisted that he was a child too. It worked and soon they were all just waiting for it to be safe to go outside the room again. Damien couldn't help wondering why the initiates weren't taken to the Portkey room and was told that their caretaker was killed by the clones and that they'd taken a wrong turn on their panicked flight from the danger.

15 minutes later Damien's head shot up as he recognized a familiar presence outside the door. Turning to the children he said, "Don't worry, Knight Skywalker is outside, he'll help us." He looked back towards the door just as it hissed open and Darth Vader walked through it.

Anakin was having a really bad night. He was locked inside his own mind and Darth Vader was happily directing the clones to kill any Jedi that were visible. Fortunately, over ¾ of the Jedi Order had managed to get to safety so it was only the stragglers that were left. Even worse was the knowledge that the Jedi that were killed would die thinking that he had betrayed them.

Vader had gone to check the Council chamber and Anakin was praying that it would be empty. His hopes were dashed when a group of young Padawans rose up from behind the chairs. One walked forward and the innocent question of "What are we going to do?" nearly broke Anakin's heart as he watched Vader unhook his lightsaber from his belt.

The activation of the blue blade and the realization of what was about to happen had Anakin fighting furiously to get out of his mental prison. He couldn't sit by and watch as Vader used his body to murder young, innocent children, he just couldn't! Worse was about to come though, as Vader brought the lightsaber down towards the first child, it was blocked by a green blade.

Damien stood between Vader and the Padawans, his eyes fixed on the Sith Lord. When he spoke his voice had only the barest quiver of fear in it. "I don't know who you are but you're not my brother. Leave now!"

Vader laughed cruelly. "And just what are you going to do about it boy?" he sneered. Damien disengaged his blade and then took a fighting stance, still protecting the children. Vader raised an eyebrow. "Brave of you. Before you die I want to tell you something. You're correct when you say that I'm not Anakin Skywalker. I'm Darth Vader, and I'm just using his body for a bit. He's still here, trapped in his mind, and can't get out. He's going absolutely crazy too, trying to stop me from hurting you and the rest of these traitors. What will it do to him I wonder, if I were to kill you?"

Damien growled and then replied, "I'm sure he'd forgive me if I were to rough you up a bit. You're not getting these kids, or me."

Vader laughed again and then swiftly attacked. Damien retreated, blocking just as swiftly. He'd sparred with Anakin before but this was faster, more brutal and certainly more lethal. A spinning kick caught him in the head and he went down hard. While he lay there, trying to bring the world back into focus, he heard the screams of the younglings as Vader killed them.

Inside his mind, Anakin was indeed going crazy. He knew he'd never be able to look at the surviving younglings again without the memory of this night playing before his eyes. Then there was Damien. He admired the kid's guts in standing up to Vader but if Damien didn't run soon then he would go the way of the younglings.

'And then Harry really would kill me' he thought in despair just before he felt the impact of a body with his own. Pressure round his throat told Anakin that Damien had jumped on his back and was attempting to strangle Vader into unconsciousness.

"Nice thought brother but I don't think it's going to work" he muttered to himself just before Vader sent Damien flying again. As Damien shakily rose again he looked round the room. The younglings were dead, and Damien now knew that he couldn't free his brother on his own. He needed Harry.

Before the attack had started, Lily and Ginny, accompanied by James and Snape had gone to Padme's apartment to see how she was doing. It was now almost a week since her due date but the twins were showing no sign of wanting to come out any time soon. They were seated comfortably on the couches when a sudden flickering caught Snape's eye.

"Look" he said, his gaze fixed on the Jedi temple. The rest of the small group rose and watched in despair and horror as the Jedi Temple started to burn. Padme broke down in tears until Ginny reminded her of the emergency plans. This didn't make her feel much better though, and none of the group was happy. Ginny in particular was nearly frantic over Tamsin's safety, so she was relieved when her comlink beeped and a message appeared.

"Portkeys successful. Younglings safe and asleep."

That meant that the plan to evacuate the Jedi Order's youngest members first, including Tamsin, went off as planned. Now Ginny could only hope that Harry had survived.

Damien was facing Vader in the Council chamber. If he had to die, he would at least leave the Sith a reminder to never mess with a Jedi, and especially not one who was a Potter. Running towards the Sith, he slid on his back between Vader's legs and at the last second he thrust both his booted feet upwards. The boot heels caught their intended target perfectly and Vader proved that he was at least still human enough to feel pain. He crumpled to the ground in agony as his balls violently protested their rough treatment and Damien took the opportunity presented to him and ran for his life.

Dodging the clone troopers who were looking round for more targets, and ignoring the dead Jedi on the floor, although it was difficult, the Padawan took a left turn at top speed and ran for the landing platform. Shouts of "Get him" and "Shoot him!" rang out behind him, and blaster bolts sizzled past him as he used the Force to duck and dodge the deadly bolts. As he ran out onto the platform he saw Bail Organa's speeder just setting down and the Senator getting out of it. Putting on a burst of speed he jumped over the top of the four clones that were talking to Bail, absorbed the landing in a roll, before turning and killing the clones. As blaster bolts continued to come at him, Damien deflected those he could and dodged those he couldn't. He backed up and backed up until Bail pulled him into the seat of his speeder and took off.

"Thanks" Damien muttered. Bail nodded. "Don't mention it. I know the Jedi would never do what the Chancellor is saying they have. This is an utter catastrophe."

Damien nodded cautiously before asking, "Um, Senator, where are we going?" Bail smiled slightly and replied, "We're going to my ship, we'll try and see if any Jedi that were out in the field survived. Then we'll go to that retreat Harry mentioned and reunite you with the rest of the Order."

Damien nodded again. "What about my Master, do you know what happened to him?" he asked in a small voice. Bail shook his head. In a gentle tone he said, "I'm afraid not Damien. What I do know is this, if he had died, you would have known it. Harry's not one to go down without a fight."

Just then Damien's comlink rang and he answered it half fearfully. Bail smiled in genuine delight as a familiar voice came through loud and clear.

"Damien, where are you?" Harry enquired. He needed to know if his Padawan was safe. Damien's shoulders slumped in relief and he replied, "I'm with Senator Organa Master, he rescued me from the Temple landing platform."

There was a brief silence before, "What the hell were you doing there, you were supposed to take a Portkey to Yavin 4!"

"The escape route was cut off by clones Master, I had to run for my life" Damien replied, a slightly sarcastic edge creeping into his tone. "Where are you?"

"Just above you" came the reply, and Damien looked up to see Harry drop neatly into the back seat of the speeder apparently having hitched a ride on another speeder above them. Master and Padawan shared a hug that was as much for reassurance that the other was alive and relatively unharmed as it was for greeting.

Harry then sat back and said, "Thank you Bail" to which he received a reply of "Don't worry about it." The three sat in silence for a few minutes before Damien said, "Master, Anakin was the one leading the attack, well it wasn't Anakin it was his body but he said he was Darth Vader. What are we going to do?"

Harry squeezed Damien's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll take care of it Damien. I need to know where he's gone in order to free him from Sidious' clutches though."

"Where do you need to go?" Bail asked. Harry thought for a moment before replying, "Senator Amidala's apartment, he may have visited her before going anywhere else." Bail nodded and changed course for Padme's apartment.

When they reached Padme's apartment they were almost knocked over by Ginny as she hugged Harry for all she was worth before hugging Damien equally hard. She let go and was immediately replaced by Lily and then James. Once they were satisfied that Harry and Damien were alive they retired to the common area and sat down.

"What happened to you?" Padme asked. Harry sighed. "Did Anakin come by here recently?" he asked. Padme nodded. "He seemed different, very distant and almost cold. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah there is. Mace, Kit Fisto, Eeth Koth and I went to arrest the Chancellor as he's the Sith Lord the Jedi have been searching for for so long. He killed Kit and Master Koth before fighting both Mace and I. The battle went on for a while, and we were winning when Sidious summoned his guards. We killed all of them, but Sidious cut one of Mace's hands off. He portkeyed out to our retreat, where hopefully he's getting healed right now. That left me against Sidious."

"I'd have liked to see that fight" Snape said, sounding almost wistful. Harry spared him a glance and said, "I can give you the memory later if you wish. Right now, what you need to know is that Sidious turned the tables on me and was about to kill me when Anakin showed up."

Damien flinched at that, and hoped that Harry had missed it. He hadn't. Raising an eyebrow Harry asked, "Do you know why he turned up at that moment Damien?"

Damien nodded. "You were in so much pain Master, I could feel it before you shut off the bond. I thought you were going to die. I asked Anakin to let me go and help you. He refused and then went himself as I said that if he didn't then I would." Looking alternately resentful and almost ashamed he muttered, "I just wanted to help."

Snape couldn't help himself, he chuckled. At the glare directed at him by Harry he snorted again and said "Sorry but it does remind me of a certain Gryffindor who would do anything to save his godfather and ended up in the middle of a trap because of it."

Harry shook his head. Turning back to Damien he said, "It's alright Damien. I'm actually grateful he showed up when he did. He fought Sidious back and was about to kill him when Sidious threw him backwards and then distracted him by dropping me out the window. I transformed into Farsight and perched in a dark corner of his office and watched the rest of the fight, not in any condition to risk transforming back and helping. Not that there was much of a fight after that unless you count the mental one."

Sighing, Harry looked towards the still burning Jedi Temple and said in a hollow tone, "Sidious tortured him and broke his mental defences. He pushed Anakin back further into his mind and locked him in it. Anakin was able to send me one message before Sidious unleashed Vader, telling me what had happened. His body might have done the deeds but it wasn't Anakin in control. His mind, and subsequently his body, is being controlled by the part of his personality that is named Darth Vader, who in turn is being controlled by Sidious."

"So what does this mean?" James asked. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. What I do know is that that prophecy that was given when Anakin was 15 is in the process of being fulfilled unless I miss my guess."

"Prophecy?" Padme asked. Harry smiled briefly and quoted the prophecy that had been given on Earth, several years ago.

Once the prophecy had been spoken the group sat back, most of the members frowning. "To Darkness the Chosen One will fall" Padme mused. "I suppose that means this event?"

Harry shrugged. "I believe so. Now the last part is important. It means that Anakin will come back but you and I have to be the ones to do it."

Padme took on a look of determination. "Then let's go get him back then!" she exclaimed. Harry shook his head and smiled bitterly. "If I knew where he was I'd be there now. I can get him back with your help Padme but we can't if we don't know where he is."

Padme looked undecided. "If you can't bring him back will you kill him?" she asked bluntly. Damien, who had been quiet since answering Harry's question earlier, now gasped and looked towards Harry, noticing that everyone else was as well. Harry shifted uncomfortably and then replied slowly, and with pain underlying every word, "I don't know. Logically I know that it's not Anakin I'll be facing, it'll be a Sith called Darth Vader, but emotionally, it's difficult to separate them."

He rose from the couch and looked out the window, gathering his thoughts before he turned back to face them. "If I can't bring him back then yes I will be forced to kill him. As he is now he poses a huge risk to us." Seeing Padme's pain filled gaze he sat down next to her and took her hands in his. "I promise I'll do everything within my power to bring him back. I don't want to consider the alternative either. Now, do you know where he is?"

Padme nodded slowly. "Mustafar. He's gone to Mustafar" she said. Harry nodded and stood up, gathering his robe. As he shrugged it on he turned to go and was stopped by the human wall in front of him. He glared at them and received glares in return, although Damien was giving him a nervously stubborn look.

"What do you all think you're doing?" Harry asked calmly. James and Lily shook their heads. "If you think we're going to let you go off alone you've got another think coming" James said seriously. Upon seeing Harry's glare, he matched it with one of his own. "I will not let you go off to your possible death alone Harry. I refuse to." Harry switched his gaze to Lily who nodded her head in agreement with James. Harry looked along the line of people until he came to Snape. His former Professor and tentative ally/friend merely stared at him before holding out a couple of vials.

"Pepper-Up and a general healing potion Harry. You can't go into battle as you are, you'd die within 3 seconds." Harry gave him a half hearted glare but took the potions, downing them in two gulps. He then breathed a sigh of relief as the potions worked, soothing his general aches and pains and replenishing his energy. Giving the empty vials back to Severus he smiled his thanks, getting a wordless nod in reply. Sighing he said, "I guess I can't convince you lot not to come with me can I?"

Head shaking gave him the answer and then Harry looked at Damien. "I might not be able to stop the others from accompanying me but I can prevent you at least." Damien's mouth fell open and he couldn't stop the surprised and indignant yelp of "WHAT!" escaping.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Damien, this isn't going to be pleasant for any of us. Vader almost killed you once, I'm not going to let him have a second chance."

"What if I promised to stay on the ship?" Damien asked. Harry thought about it for a moment. "You would promise to stay on the ship and not move one step from it, no matter what happens?" he asked. Damien nodded.

"Yes Master. I want to at least be on the ship, I can't stand waiting and not knowing what's happening. Plus Anakin's going to be torn up from almost killing me and I need to be there to tell him that's its OK."

Harry smirked in amusement. "Maybe. Fine, you can come. But, if you move one step off the ship you'll be grounded till your Knighthood Trials understand?" At Damien's nod, Harry looked pointedly at the rest of the group, all of whom were trying, and failing miserably, at hiding the amused grins on their faces from Harry's last threat. James and Lily in particular were very amused as Harry sounded less like a Jedi Master and more like a parent at that point. Harry coughed to gain their attention and they parted in front of him as he lead the way to the front landing pad. Withdrawing the Marauder from its pocket inside his robes he enlarged it, earning a roll of the eyes from James and looks of shock from Padme and Bail and then opened the landing ramp.

"If everyone will kindly get on board we'll head off for Mustafar" he said, barely concealing his eagerness to get underway. He wasn't looking forward to the inevitable confrontation, as he knew that Vader would not go down without a fight and that meant a lightsaber duel. Sitting at the controls he lifted off and headed for outer space, inputting the coordinates for Mustafar before he put the ship on autopilot and headed for the common area.

As he sat and contemplated the upcoming battle he thought 'Well, it will at least be a fight to remember. Chosen One vs Chosen One, oh that is going to be interesting.'

Leaning back he closed his eyes, slipping into a meditative trance to heal the last of the wounds suffered during his fight with Sidious and to gather his strength for the most important fight of his life. One way or another, Sidious was going to pay for what he'd done.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: One Down, One to Go.**

When they reached Mustafar, Damien was tense and upset. Outwardly, Harry was calm and focused but inwardly he felt a lot like his apprentice looked. Sighing he closed his eyes and forcefully shoved his nervousness and tension to the back of his mind, he couldn't allow anything to interfere with his connection to the Force at this point, nor his connection to Anakin. He needed to be calm and focused if he was to defeat Vader without killing Anakin in the process.

When the ship landed the small group spotted a dark figure running towards them and they all recognized Anakin, or rather, Vader. Harry sighed once more and rose, pressing the button that would drop the boarding ramp. Looking round at his passengers, and especially hard at Damien he said, "Stay on the ship. I cannot stress this enough, you MUST stay on the ship. If you go outside you might be hurt and I don't want that. I'm here for one thing only, retrieving Anakin, and that is unfortunately going to include a duel. No matter what happens though, stay here. Understand?"

Everyone nodded their heads before Damien launched himself at Harry. Harry caught him and just held him, understanding that Damien needed this reassurance that Harry was OK at the moment. When Damien disengaged his arms, Harry let him go. The Padawan looked at him and then said, "I'll stay Master. I won't go outside I promise." Harry nodded, knowing that Damien was just reiterating that so that Harry wouldn't be worrying about possible disobedience when he needed full concentration for the fight.

Harry was about to walk down the ramp when he felt a tingle of magic flow over him. Turning back he saw Severus tucking his wand away and raised an eyebrow at him. Snape shrugged. "Video charm Potter, it will allow us to watch the fight if we wish to." Shrugging, Harry turned and walked down the ramp, the video charm activating automatically upon his leaving the ship. A rectangular screen of sorts formed on the wall of the ship and the group inside turned to it to watch. Snape flicked his wand and the audio clicked on as well. They settled down to watch the greatest battle in the history of the Order, that of Chosen One vs Chosen One.

Harry walked determinedly down the ramp of the Marauder, his eyes fixed firmly on his former Padawan. He could feel Anakin struggling to get out and that only fuelled his determination to fight Vader into submission and then get rid of him once and for all.

Vader smirked at him. "I see you're here to try the same thing your apprentice did. Unfortunately you won't succeed. You Jedi are too afraid of the Dark to properly fight it and that is why Anakin will never be free again."

Harry snorted and replied caustically, "Who said I'm afraid of the Dark Vader? Just because I don't use it doesn't mean that I don't know how to fight it. I almost destroyed your precious master, and then Anakin almost did the same before you were brought into existence. That makes your precious Master rather weak if he couldn't handle first me then Anakin."

Vader snarled in fury, his power spiking round him in an erratic light show which was a testament to his loss of control. Anakin's aura was always tightly controlled and focused, as was Harry's. Snarling again, Vader slowly started to circle round towards Harry, who moved away from him so they were circling the landing platform, each keeping their eyes on the other.

Harry smirked and said, "You know, you really are a bit pathetic. I mean, letting yourself be kicked in the nuts by a fourteen year old? Even initiates know to jump into the air when an opponent tries that. I suppose it's a good thing that Anakin's already sired children, his ability to do that might have suffered a bit if you know what I mean."

Vader growled and then replied, "Only a Jedi would be so weak as to believe that the Light is the strongest side."

Harry shrugged. "Actually, neither is stronger, in order to have harmony the Light and Dark need to be in balance. That job falls to Anakin so if you'll just release him I'll be on my way."

Vader now laughed. "You think it's that easy? The answers no, if you want him, come and get him."

Harry's eyes hardened. "I came here for one purpose and one purpose only, freeing Anakin from the clutches of your weak, pathetic little Master. I intend to do that, and you won't be able to stop me!"

Inside the Marauder, James, Lily, Severus, Padme and Bail watched with equal parts awe and horror as Harry and Vader exchanged insults. Damien had been petrified by James and Severus as he had had trouble sitting still and watching, and it was felt that he might be tempted to break his promise to Harry. This thought had earned them a glare from Damien, whatever other stuff he might get up to he never broke a promise and he didn't want to be outside anyway, it was far too dangerous for him.

They all sucked in a breath as Vader smiled cruelly and said, "You will try" before leaping at Harry, his lightsaber ignited. A flash of silver met his blade and the fight was on. Strike for strike the blue and silver blades clashed, with Harry being driven backwards initially before he rallied and forced Vader onto the defensive. The video charm captured all of the fight and Damien was in awe as he watched his master and Vader pull out all the stops in an all out fight. He also shivered as he thought that he would stop making requests for an all out sparring match with Harry until he was a senior Padawan at least, if not a Knight.

Harry and Anakin entered a hallway and fought down it until they entered what was obviously the command centre for the station. Both were sweaty with the heat given off by the molten lava river below them, and the exertion, but neither were giving up. Harry kicked Vader in the jaw, forcing him to take a step back and allowing Harry to breathe for a second. Vader recovered fast and was on top of him again, giving Harry no room to maneuver really. Harry took advantage of that and started using the Force to send different items from round the room crashing into Vader. He was rudely shocked when Vader destroyed them all and then attacked him again. Sighing, Harry resorted to blocking Vader's attacks, hoping that Vader would tire himself out and let Harry capture him.

Vader however, had access to all of Anakin's memories of Harry's fighting style so that approach was quickly shot down. Growling, Harry then drew his wand and started casting curses and hexes at Vader, getting closer and closer as Vader was driven backwards by the veritable hailstorm of spells that were coming at him. Not all were hexes or curses either, some were transfiguration spells, and some were charms.

Vader didn't have any knowledge of how to deal with this attack so he deflected them, but he had neglected to stop Harry's advance, and as such he was caught by surprise when Harry punched him in the nose. Snarling as best he could, Vader said, "You'll pay for that Potter!"

Yawning, Harry replied "I've heard that so often it's lost it's meaning for me I'm afraid. Anything else you'd like to say" he mocked before jumping backwards as Vader lunged at him. Harry fought Vader around the room a bit, before trying to Force shove him away. Vader had had the same idea and the two were locked in a stalemate, with two opposing forces colliding and neither willing to give up. Finally both were blasted backwards across the room, and landed painfully on their backs. Vader recovered first but his downwards stroke hit the control panel, not Harry as the Jedi Master had rolled out of the way and was now attacking from the side.

The two fought their way along a walkway that led to one of the lava collection arms, and Harry did everything he could to get through Vader's defences but they were too good. Snarling inwardly he continued to fight, vowing once more to defeat Vader no matter what it took.

Inside his mind, Anakin was both thrilled and terrified. Terrified that Harry might decide to relieve him of a limb or two in the process of defeating Vader, and thrilled that, despite the unfortunate circumstances, he was finally getting a chance to fight Harry at full power, full strength, no holds barred. He smiled as he tried again to free himself from the prison he was in and to his delight the wall seemed a bit weaker than before. With no further encouragement needed he set to work on chipping away at the wall while his body remained in mortal danger from his former master's lightsaber blade.

Vader laughed as Harry leapt onto the collection arm itself and followed both cautiously striking at the other while keeping their balance. Harry jumped off first, and landed on a wider section of the arm. Vader followed once more, stepping up the pace again so that a fast fight to begin with became almost super humanly fast. Just then, Harry surged forward, raising his lightsaber blade to strike Vader's torso. Vader moved forward at the same time and both caught each other's arms, turning it into a physical show of strength rather than lightsaber skill. Both were summarily distracted by a spray of lava that came up and landed on the collection arm itself, causing the metal to buckle and weaken. Temporarily forgetting their fight they ran to the end of the arm away from the lava and took shelter from the raining chunks of molten stuff that was hitting everything around them. Once the lava shower had ceased, they had a more immediate problem as the collection arm groaned and began to give way, falling towards the lava river. Exchanging another glance, they ran up towards the now broken off end, as the collection arm fell into the river with a splash.

Glaring at each other, Harry and Vader fought while on an upright, floating pole in the middle of a river that would kill them in minutes if they touched it. Vader was lower down and tried to cut off Harry's legs. Growling, Harry climbed further up and aimed for Vader's lightsaber arm. Looking downriver Harry saw a lava fall and decided that he didn't want to be on this thing when it went over. Looking round for options he spotted a cable and beyond that, a floating platform of sorts that had its own motor source and was heading upriver.

'That's good enough' Harry thought as he cut the cable and swung outwards. Not to be outdone, Vader grabbed another cable and swung after him. The two played lightsaber tag for a bit until Harry let go and landed on his platform.

Inside the Maurauder the rest of the group were watching with varying degrees of awe, horror and hope as the fight progressed. They winced along with Harry as they watched the collection arm go over the fall, the figure of Vader still faintly visible as it went over the edge. It was not to end there however, as Vader ran back towards the fall and leapt on top of a small droid that began moving upstream towards Harry.

The two exchanged blows for a while before Harry tried again to bring out Anakin in the Sith that had taken him over. His attempts failed and Vader instead leapt over top of him and landed on the other end of Harry's platform, wobbling for a moment before his balance stablised and the two engaged in a deadly version of the exercise performed in the Jedi Temple when Padawans were learning to fight in close quarters with another Jedi. It was both beautiful and terrifying to watch and Damien was heard to mutter that he now knew why Harry insisted he practice that skill at every given opportunity.

"It will save your life someday" he muttered. "Right." None of the adults replied as they were still fixated on the fight happening on the lava riverbank. Harry had just leapt onto the bank while Vader was left on the floating platform.

Harry smirked tiredly. "Game's over Vader" he called. "I won. You must know, surely, that the person with the high ground wins?"

Vader's response was a snarled, "You underestimate my powers!" Harry shook his head sadly. "You try what I think you're about to try and you won't be able to move for a while" he warned. Vader shook his head and leapt into the air, gracefully somersaulting over Harry's head, expecting to land on his feet and then put an end to the annoying Jedi that had plagued his Master for so long. It wasn't to be though.

As he came over top, Harry swiftly dialed down the power on his lightsaber so it wouldn't cut right through. He then moved his blade so it left nasty gashes on both Vader's legs and then the return of the blade to the guard position caused a nasty wound to Vader's arm as well. The Sith crumpled to the ground and rolled a bit down the slope, in agony from the wounds. The lightsaber landed near Harry and he picked it up, absently clipping it to his belt for safekeeping. With that done he shut off his lightsaber and went down near the stricken Sith. Drawing his wand he cast a series of spells that had Vader wrapped up tighter than an Egyptian mummy and also gagged as he didn't want to hear the obscenities that Vader was spouting as he levitated him back up the path. As an afterthought, Harry cast a cooling charm on Vader's front, the lava bed had been fairly hot after all and it was more so that when Anakin came back he wouldn't be in too much pain than it was to relieve Vader's discomfort.

When he reached the ship he merely wordlessly floated the bound and gagged form of Darth Vader inside and locked him in the cargo hold, conjuring a set of handcuffs and putting a Force suppression collar on Vader just in case. With the door to the cargo hold secure he walked back to the common area and said, "He's secure for now but don't open the door. He's still Darth Vader but we need to get out of here before we meet Sidious. I'll deal with the mental war after we've got to a safe place."

"Medical centre in the nearby asteroid field" Bail said immediately. Harry thought for a moment and then nodded. "Fine. What are the coordinates?" Bail told him and Harry swiftly put them into the navicomputer before entering hyperspace. He then sat down and explained to Padme what he would need to do, and where he needed her help. He then led her in a brief meditation and created a temporary link between them which would help in the coming mental war. With that done he opened his eyes and went to Damien. Again wordlessly, he gathered the Padawan up in a tight hug, sending across the bond how proud he was that Damien had done what he was told even when it must have seemed too hard to do. Damien didn't say anything back he merely hugged Harry hard, pleased that the physical part was over. Now it was just the mental part to go and he'd have his brother back which was what he wanted.

After Harry let Damien go he looked at the others and said quietly, "Any communication from anyone that was in the field when that damnable Order 66 was invoked?"

Lily nodded. "Yes. A few didn't get to use their portkeys but the majority did. Obi-Wan and Yoda both survived and are on Yavin 4 at the present moment. She looked towards the cargo hold and then back at Harry, seeing the pained, hollow look in them. Moving towards him she hugged him, and then sat down as Harry abruptly collapsed. A few moments later silent sobs coursed thorough him as he surrendered to the torrent of emotion that wanted to flow out of him. Damien was about to go to them when Ginny gently took his shoulder.

"Don't. He needs this time to grieve for what's happened, and that this fight was necessary at all." Damien looked at Harry for a few moments before he too sat down abruptly and muttered, "If it weren't for my insistence that Anakin go to help then neither of them would be in this situation." He looked up as Ginny abruptly shook him slightly.

"Don't you start that self pity party too. I've had enough of it from Harry over the years that I can quite easily recognize the signs. It wasn't your fault that Anakin chose to go and help, he could still have refused to go and we could have stopped you from going too. In that case your master would almost certainly be dead and we'd all be a lot sadder than we are now. This way, yes it hurts but both Harry and Anakin are alive and once Harry recovers he's going to beat Sidious and give him one hell of a headache hopefully."

Damien nodded and looked towards where Harry and Lily were sitting. They had been joined by James and the two elder Potters were attempting to comfort him, while Harry himself merely indulged in letting his parents shoulder the burdens for a while while he let go and let everything out that needed to be let out. Once the emotional storm had passed he looked up to find himself the object of everyone's attention. Refusing to be embarrassed, he stood and said, "I needed that. Now I'm ready to go kick that scaly slimy excuse for a Sith out of Anakin's head. Coming Padme?"

Padme rose and walked behind him to the cargo hold. Pausing at the door, Harry looked back and seemed to be considering something. Finally he called out "Severus. Would you like to help too, or at least be present in case something goes wrong?" Severus thought about this for a minute before agreeing. The trio silently opened the door to the temporary holding cell and closed it behind them. An unnatural silence from the room indicated that a silencing charm had been raised to prevent any noise from getting out to the common area of the ship.

Bail looked at James, Lily and Ginny and then finally at Damien. "Now what?" he said. Damien smirked. "Now we wait" he said and settled down to meditate. Ginny followed his example before cracking an eye open. "Want to learn?" she offered. At his surprised look she smiled. "It's very relaxing, even if you're not a Jedi." Bail shrugged and sat down on the floor for his first lesson.

Inside the cargo hold Harry had propped the still bound and gagged Vader up against the wall. Furious blue eyes met his and Harry merely stared into them without a shred of mercy visible.

"Time for you to leave Vader" he murmured before looking at his allies. "You remember what to do?" he asked. They nodded and all three closed their eyes, briefly, connecting with each other. Then Harry opened his eyes, while Padme and Severus kept theirs closed. Harry reached out over the remnants of the bond between him and Anakin, swiftly rebuilding it enough to bridge the gap between them. He soon found himself at the edge of Anakin's shields and stopped. Padme and Severus were with him and they probed the shields, until Harry saw a small hole at the bottom. Heading for it he squeezed his mental presence through, helping Padme and Severus through as well. They stood up, their mental presences having created images of their physical bodies inside Anakin's mind, and were greeted by Anakin himself.

"Harry!" the Knight yelped in shock at the unexpected appearance. The two embraced in a rough hug, before Anakin drew back, and muttered, "Sorry about all this. I, I couldn't stop him from killing those Padawans, but I'm glad that Damien survived, even if my balls likely didn't."

Harry smirked. "Let's deal with all that later and focus on ejecting Vader out of your head shall we?" he asked. Anakin nodded but then looked confused. "Er, he's part of my personality Master, how are we going to eject him from my head?"

Harry smirked. "All Sidious did was tear down that wall you keep round your aggression and anger and give it a name before controlling it. We need to break out of here, break that control and then while we fight Sidious you can rebuild that wall. Without the anger and aggression feeding him, Sidious' hold on you will be weaker and weaker and we can toss him out, and keep him out easily. Got it?"

Anakin nodded and led the three to the prison wall. They could see that Anakin's chipping away at it had weakened it slightly and Harry smiled in anticipation. "Let's tear this down shall we" he asked. His companions nodded and all focused together, with Padme, Severus and Anakin using Harry as their anchor. A bright beam of light shot out of their hands and struck the wall. It buckled slightly and Vader came to see what the noise was about.

"Stop that you fools, it can't be broken" he growled. Anakin snarled back and said, "You will never keep me prisoner forever. I'm going to get rid of you for good!" With that he redoubled his efforts and with Harry and Padme joining him, not to mention Severus, he broke through with one almighty crash. Vader looked stunned for a moment before gathering himself.

With a cruel laugh Vader hurled everything he could at them. Anakin who was bolstered by the love that Harry and Padme had for him, fought back with everything he had. Weakened by his fight with Harry earlier, Vader grew weaker and weaker until finally Anakin had advanced to the place where he kept his darker feelings and started reeling them back in.

It was with interest that Harry and Padme watched Vader literally unravel before their eyes. Anakin kept winding in all of his darker emotions and then locked them deep inside his mind once more. When that was done, they felt a tremendous assault on Anakin's outer shields.

Moving towards the outer shield they found Sidious just entering. Anakin firmly blocked his path. "Oh no you don't" the Knight said grimly. "You imprisoned me once, you won't do so again."

Sidious smirked at him. "How do you plan to stop me? Vader may be gone but I can still rebuild him." Anakin shook his head. "If you think that then you really are deluded. I have love on my side, that and a prophecy that says you won't succeed. So goodbye."

Anakin then put his best effort into his mental shove and Sidious went flying through his shields. Anakin and Harry quickly rebuilt them, but Sidious broke through, armed with anger and hatred. Anakin took a few steps backwards but a hug from Padme, and then another from Harry stopped him. Letting love flow through him he turned back to meet the Sith and get him out of his head for good.

"You know Sidious, it's really sad when a grown man can't admit that love exists. It's what is going to destroy you you know" Anakin said conversationally as he drove Sidious back, drawing on the love that Harry and Padme kept giving him in a continual flow. Sidious shook his head as they entered the first of the outer mental shields. "No it won't. Love is weak, look what it did to you."

Anakin laughed. "If it's so weak then why is it that I'm defeating you easily and you're busy hanging on by a thread?" he taunted. Sidious snarled and attacked one last time, but he couldn't stand up against the blinding white light of love that filled his victim. Shrieking in rage, Sidious fled and didn't return. Anakin and Harry spent the next 20 minutes rebuilding and strengthening his shields so that no evil got through again, mostly infusing the shields with the power that had blazed forth when most needed. Harry and Padme then retreated from Anakin's mind, Severus was already out, he had left when he saw that there was no real need for him to be there anymore.

Harry and Padme opened their eyes to see Anakin staring back at them. Filled with relief, Padme started crying and then hugged Anakin so hard that Harry had to remind her that he needed to breathe. Anakin tried to hug her back but was restrained by the handcuffs and gag. Seeing this, Harry swished his wand and all the restraints vanished. Smiling, Anakin hugged his wife back and then looked at Harry uncertainly. Padme stepped back, not wanting to be in between them.

"Oh come here" Harry muttered finally, pulling Anakin towards him. Embracing Anakin he wasn't surprised to find Anakin was much like he himself was earlier, only it was a bit deeper and more painful. Harry knew that there would be some memories that wouldn't fade for a long time, if ever, and one of those would undoubtedly be the murder of the younglings in the Council Chamber. Sighing, Harry sat down with Anakin leaning heavily on him, and just held him while he let out the grief, fear and guilt that was consuming him. Padme sat down on Anakin's other side and the three sat like that for a while just comforting each other.

On Coruscant, Sidious had destroyed his office in a rage. "THAT NEVER-TO-BE-SUFFICIENTLY-DAMNED-ENOUGH POTTER AND SKYWALKER'S WIFE!!!! THEY RUINED ALL MY CAREFULLY LAID PLANS!!! THEY WILL PAY IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO!!!!!!" Sidious screamed in helpless fury before he reached into his medicine drawer and withdrew a large headache reliever bottle. Opening the bottle he didn't pay attention to the usual dose, he merely drank straight from it, while planning revenge on the Jedi in general and Harry personally because he had managed to screw up all of Sidious' plans since he arrived in the Republic.

Sinking into his bed Sidious wasn't pleased to be visited by Voldemort. The dead Dark Lord hovered above the Sith and smirked. "Should have taken my advice shouldn't you. There's nothing you can do about it now, Potter is well and truly your enemy. Have fun dealing with him; I'll be waiting on your arrival in Hell in a year or two."

Sidious snarled and threw his now empty bottle of headache reliever at the spirit who merely laughed before vanishing. Thoroughly miserable and wondering where things went wrong, Sidious rolled over and went to sleep hoping that the morning would bring better news.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Beginning the Road to Healing **

The trip to the medical centre was silent for the most part. Harry and Anakin sat apart from the others, with Harry attempting to keep Anakin from sinking into a deep well of self loathing. He knew the feeling all too well unfortunately and knew the signs of it. Snape kept an eye on both of them; he knew what Anakin was going through as well, perhaps even better than Harry did, as he was once in the same position as Anakin.

When Harry got up to stretch his legs and get a drink, the former spy approached him and spoke quietly. "Potter, do you want me to talk to Anakin? I have some experience in dealing with what he's going through and I want to help."

Harry looked at him, surprised, before looking thoughtful. "If you think it would help Severus then yes please. This is going to take a long time to heal I think, and I can't seem to get through to him at the moment. He thinks I don't understand what he's going through."

"In a way, you don't Harry. Yes you've come in contact with Darkness, and used it yourself once but that doesn't really compare to what happened to Anakin. He was forced to perform acts that deeply hurt him, and experienced being held prisoner by the person that he is supposed to defeat one day. He's likely feeling humiliated, unsure of himself and his worthiness to be a Jedi, and a myriad of other feelings." As Harry looked crestfallen that he couldn't really help, Snape offered a grain of comfort to him.

"If it's any help Harry, I'm sure he appreciates that you're there for him, even if he doesn't say it. Let me talk to him, see if I can't use some of my own experience as a reformed Death Eater to get him to start opening up."

Harry nodded and watched silently as Snape went over and sat down beside Anakin. After a few minutes they rose and walked off down the corridor and Anakin's door closed firmly behind the two of them. Shaking his head, Harry was made aware of a presence by his side when a pair of arms wrapped round his middle.

"Are you OK Harry?" James asked. Harry looked at his father and then slowly shook his head. Events were starting to catch up to him and he wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere and let out his emotions but he couldn't.

"I'm not Dad, I just want to break down but I can't" he admitted. James looked at him oddly before asking, "Why not?"

Harry gave him a disbelieving look and said, "Why not? I have Damien to look after Dad, what's going to happen to him if I break down like I want to? I'll be out of action for a few days at least. For Anakin it will be months, if not a year or so before he recovers, and he may not recover completely. I'm not just talking physical recovery either, I'm talking emotional and psychological recovery, I"

He was cut off when James stunned him. James then lifted his son in his arms and carried him down to his room, followed by Lily, who sat with him. He then returned to the common area where he found Damien and Ginny looking at him with worry in their eyes. Padme had fallen asleep on the couch, with Ginny keeping an eye on her.

"He'll be OK guys; he just needs time to come to grips with everything that's happened. Give him that time, and all the support he needs. I am aware that he's not really used to having support but he's going to need it all the same."

"That's fine James but expect opposition from Harry when he wakes up. He's not used to asking for help all that much, even after being a Jedi ever since he was 17. He will insist that he's fine until he ends up in hospital and is forced to accept the help he needs" Ginny muttered with a small smile. She loved Harry but she could see his flaws clearly as well.

"Yeah, he once flew the Marauder home after a tough mission when he had a broken arm and a fractured rib, and when we got home he insisted that I be treated first, even though all I had sustained were bruises and the occasional cut" Damien chipped in.

James snorted. "Almost makes me wish that no, no it wouldn't work" he trailed off. Ginny looked intrigued. "What wouldn't work" she asked.

James shrugged. "There is a potion which will regress a person back to childhood while leaving their adult memories intact. It is used in trauma cases where the patient is having trouble expressing their feelings about it. Harry wants to let it all out but feels he can't. If he was regressed back to childhood, I'm betting that he'd let it out in a hurry. Kids are less inhibited about expressing emotion when greatly upset than adults are."

Ginny nodded. "Severus is a Potions Master but even I don't believe that he'd have two doses of that potion on him at the moment" she remarked. This caused a raised eyebrow from James.

"Two?" he asked. Ginny huffed impatiently. "Anakin. If anyone needs it as much as Harry does it's him. They could regress together and we could be responsible for helping them heal and then return them to their correct ages once they'd dealt with the issues."

"There's one problem with that Ginny. Anakin may be dealing with this for a long time. Do you intend to keep him in his child form for months, if not years?"

"Of course not, just until the initial emotional outburst has passed and the healing has at least semi begun. Harry will be easier; he doesn't have as much to deal with" Ginny snapped back. Damien had quietly left while Ginny and James argued the pros and cons of the plan with regard to their two possible subjects. He had got his emotional outburst out of the way once Anakin was restored to his mind and with the resiliency of youth, had bounced back. He was still shaken over the Temple invasion but knowing that the Jedi Order had mostly relocated with the exception of that unlucky group of Padawans helped him a lot. Harry had not neglected him either, and had remained open to him if he wanted to talk. So far, Damien had not taken advantage of that, feeling that Anakin needed Harry more. Now that Anakin was talking with Severus though, it was time for Damien to return the favor and sit with his master the way Harry had with him every time Damien had been scared or upset about something.

Opening the door to Harry's room, he saw Harry cuddled up with Lily and paused, feeling like he was intruding. He was reassured though when Harry gave him a watery type of smile and motioned him further into the room.

"Hey Damien, are you feeling OK?" he asked. Damien nodded. "Yeah, I just thought that you might need help" he replied. Both Harry and Lily smiled, and Damien walked closer, squeaking slightly when Harry reached out and pulled him into a three way hug.

"Just because I'm getting help with dealing with my own feelings doesn't mean that you can't come to me Damien, OK" he said, wanting to reassure Damien of the fact that Harry would be there if needed. The Padawan nodded, hugging tighter, just thankful that no one had died in the duel on Mustafar. Vibrations in the ship caused them to look up and Harry frowned.

"Must be landing at the med center" he muttered. This was proven correct when a knock came at the door. A wordless, wandless spell later and Harry was looking alert and any trace of his emotional breakdown, however small it had been, was erased. Gently disengaging from the hug, although reluctantly, he opened the door to find Ginny on the other side.

"We're here Harry; Anakin has been taken to one of the treatment rooms while Padme is being checked over as well. Do you need treatment?"

Harry shook his head vigorously. "No I'm fine, Ginny, I just need emotional treatment, not physical. Is Anakin going to be OK?"

"Physically yes, emotionally, and psychologically, well, we're not sure. It will take time as you've said Harry. However, James and I had an idea of how to sort of short circuit that a bit."

"How?" Harry asked, intrigued. Ginny shook her head. "Into the med center and on a bed Mister, then I'll answer questions. You might feel fine but I want to make doubly sure, as I know your habit of avoiding hospitals at any and all opportunity."

Harry groaned, and mock glared at Damien as his apprentice gave a small chuckle, before smiling ruefully in acknowledgement of his wife's very accurate observation. With a theatrical shudder he allowed himself to be led into a treatment room for a check up. Lily gave Damien a check up as well, just to make sure. Finding both Master and Padawan in general good health apart from a few superficial cuts and burns on Harry, they were let go and they all moved to a waiting room. There they found Bail Organa and Severus and they sat down and waited for any news on Anakin and Padme.

Half an hour later Padme walked into the room looking tired. She sat down on the chair provided for her and looked round at the somber faces around the room.

"Is something wrong with Anakin?" she asked. Lily smiled at her. "He was hurt in the duel Padme, but that is being fixed now. We're more concerned with his mental state right now and we're trying to find a way to fix it. James and Ginny have put forward an idea and we're trying to work out the associated issues with it, to see if we can improve on it or find another way."

"What issues and what idea?" Padme asked. Snape looked intrigued as well, when Ginny explained that they'd need his help to make it work.

"We want to regress both Harry and Anakin back to their childhood while leaving their adult memories intact so they can work out their initial emotional reactions without being overly embarrassed about it. Then they can return to their present ages and begin healing properly" James explained, looking at Harry with a half longing look as he said it.

Catching the look Harry raised an eyebrow. "I assume there's more behind this idea than simply helping myself and Anakin begin to heal from this experience" he asked. James nodded reluctantly. "Yes. Lily and I, well, we sort of wanted the chance to hold you as a child and this would help you as well as Anakin. What do you think?"

Harry looked thoughtful. "What about Damien?" he asked looking towards his Padawan. Damien wrinkled his nose and growled in frustration. "There are documented cases where a Master is out of action for a while and other Masters step in to help out. I'm sure Master Kenobi wouldn't mind looking after me, nor would Master Windu. I think it's a good idea Master, go for it."

Harry looked round, and then locked eyes with Severus. "How long would it take to make" he asked quietly. Snape shrugged and answered, "A few days. If I return to Earth I can begin work on it straightaway and then I can bring two doses back with me, as well as two doses of the antidote. Just survive the next 4 days and I'll be back."

Harry nodded, before saying "Wait. I agreed to this yes, but what about Anakin? I hated having decisions made for me and so does he. He has to agree as well, before you get started."

"That won't be a problem" a tired voice said from behind Harry. As one the group turned round to see Anakin standing in the doorway, holding onto the frame to remain upright. Harry immediately jumped up and helped him into a chair, before retaking his own.

"How much did you hear?" he asked. Anakin chuckled and answered, "Enough. I think it's a good idea too. At the moment the guilt is just crushing me and I can't let go of the fact that I'm an adult now enough to let it out and I need to. It would be helpful to both of us and Damien's right, Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon would be more than happy to help out while the two of us are rediscovering our inner children as it were."

Harry laughed briefly and looked at Severus. "Looks like we require two doses of that potion Severus. We'll be on Yavin 4 when you get back, just use the Portkey I gave you earlier." Severus nodded and after bidding the rest of the group goodbye he silently vanished, using the transportation system set up by Hermione. The system could return him to Earth from wherever he was but was only set up for return trips to Coruscant. That was why Harry had told him to use the Portkey which was set to take him to Yavin 4.

The others looked at each other and were preparing to go back to the Marauder for the journey to Yavin when Padme suddenly gasped in pain. Anakin looked at her, worried.

"What's wrong Padme?" he asked. She smiled through gritted teeth and hissed "It's good that we're in a med center Ani because I think our children are finally going to make their arrival."

Ginny and Lily promptly rushed Padme to a private room, while ordering the males to stay outside. Once she was settled, Anakin was allowed in to be with Padme, which Harry thought was patently unfair since he'd been forcefully kept out while Ginny gave birth to Tamsin. He had some satisfaction when Anakin was also ejected when it came time to actually deliver the twins. He and Harry watched through the glass viewing window as first one twin, and then the other was delivered.

"Congratulations Anakin" Harry said softly, as the twins were given to Padme and he and Anakin were finally allowed in to welcome the new arrivals. Anakin gulped and tightened his hold when one of the small bundles was placed in his arms.

"Meet your son Anakin" Lily said gently, as the new father looked at the baby in his arms with something akin to wonder. Padme smiled at him and said, "Anakin, meet Luke and this other one is our daughter, Leia." Harry moved to help as Anakin and Padme exchanged babies and Anakin got the chance to hold his daughter. Finally the two new parents looked at the others in the room, both wearing identical joyful expressions, although Anakin's looked a bit shell shocked as well.

"Congratulations once again you two" Harry said quietly before leaving the room, with Ginny and Lily in his wake. Once outside and back in the meeting room, he pulled Ginny to him in a tight hug. "Please tell me Tamsin is on Yavin 4" he whispered. At Ginny's answering nod he trembled with relief, and finally acknowledged that he wasn't going to be able to shove all his emotions to the side this time and pretend that nothing had happened. He half collapsed into a chair and muttered, "When the babies are strong enough to travel, tell me and we'll go to Yavin 4. I need to see for myself that the evacuation worked as planned. Right now I want to sleep."

Ginny merely held him tighter as he succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a restless sleep. Soon afterwards, she curled up with him and the two slept, for all intents and purposes dead to the world.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Road to Healing Part Two and Birth of the Rebellion**

The group stayed at the med center for a week before they risked traveling. The decision was made to travel to Yavin 4 directly by Portkey, so as to minimize detection by the Emperor's new troops. Although the Senate was still in place, it was a puppet group only and Palpatine had firm control of the government and the galaxy. Luke and Leia were securely wrapped up and held by their parents as everyone crowded round the small Portkey that James held in his hand. A whispered word later and they vanished and reappeared in the Temple on Yavin 4.

"HARRY!" a voice loudly exclaimed. Harry whirled and found Obi-Wan running towards him. He stopped upon seeing Harry's exhaustion and impending breakdown and moved over at a slower pace. Running an eye over the group he stepped back a bit in shock at seeing Bail and Padme, and then gasped when Anakin and Padme revealed the two tiny new additions to the Jedi Order.

"Well, congratulations Anakin and Padme, come along, we'll get you all set up in rooms here. The Temple is in fine form, it apparently used to be used by the Jedi at one point in the distant past, and by another group before them. All the initiates are settled and have more or less recovered from the experience. There are of course lingering nightmares but they're treating it as an adventurous moving house type of experience, which is what we're encouraging if it helps them feel better about it. The Padawans are mostly old enough to understand the real reason behind the move so they're harder to deal with but for the most part their Masters are doing a good enough job with keeping them calm and rational. The rest of us are busy getting the Temple in some sort of order and a group of us is planning a retaliatory strike to possibly reclaim the Temple on Coruscant."

Harry listened to all this with amazement but the last bit caused him to stop and look at Obi-Wan sharply. "No. You need to stop those plans now. Striking back now, when we're still reeling from the last attack is a bad idea. We need to get sorted and stabilized here and then decide what to do. I do know that a series of small strikes would just be seen as an annoyance by Sidious."

"What would you suggest then Harry?" Obi-Wan snapped sharply. Harry glared back and said, "Organise a rebellion. We can't be the only ones that aren't happy with the current government, just look at that petition Bail and Padme organized before everything went to hell. Find other sympathizers, set up bases on sympathetic worlds. Before we do anything else though we need to heal and gather our strength if we're going to stand even a remote chance of winning this new war we've found ourselves in."

Obi-Wan nodded and then silently led the group to their rooms, giving Harry, Ginny and Damien a room, then Anakin and Padme, and finally James and Lily. Bail was across the hall from them. Once they were settled in Obi-Wan guided them to the meeting hall where most of the Knights and Masters were congregated. The initiates were in another room nearby and when they walked past that room the first of the after effects of the attack were felt as Anakin stopped dead before starting to shake. Damien tried poking him to get him to move but the Knight's eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the initiates who were playing and generally creating a mess while waiting for their caretakers to come back. Anakin was finally persuaded to move again when Harry moved and blocked his line of sight, cutting off the initiates from his view. With that, and Harry's insistent yet gentle pressure on his arm got him moving forward again. Damien looked at the initiates as they continued on past but except for a small shiver, he didn't react at all.

"It's OK Anakin, we'll get through this" Harry was saying softly up ahead. Damien couldn't hear his reply but Harry stopped and said more forcefully, "We WILL get through this Anakin; you won't always have the reaction you just did. Come on, we need to get to the meeting room. Soon Severus will be back and we can get started on healing properly."

Anakin nodded and followed Harry to the main hall. When they stepped inside a cheer rose as the rest of the Jedi saw that their two brightest hopes had survived. Scanning the crowd, Harry saw the three people he needed to talk to and began making his way over to them. Anakin had to suffer through being surrounded by Jedi on all sides that were happy to see him alive, when he would much rather have curled up in a dark corner by himself. Finally Harry reappeared and led him over to a corner of the room where Sora and Hikari were sitting. Both healers rose and shook his hand before sitting down. One privacy spell later and the four were able to talk freely.

"I've never heard of this approach to healing but I'd be interested in seeing what happens. I suppose it means dealing with child versions of you two for however long it takes for you to come to grips with what happened" Sora said after hearing what had happened during the Temple invasion and the panic attack Anakin had had earlier.

"Yup. Of course, my parents are more than willing to help look after us, and we will retain our adult memories. Only our bodies will change" Harry replied. Sora looked thoughtful while Hikari merely looked neutral.

"You do understand that both of you will be scheduled for sessions with both of us even after you do this little experiment" she said slowly. Harry and Anakin exchanged a look and then nodded to her, having already planned on exactly that.

"Will everyone have to know what happened" Anakin asked, his fear of being thrown out of the Order painfully obvious. Hikari shook her head. "No. The Council will have to know but they won't be so cruel as to throw you out because of a situation that you couldn't control. If they did that then they might as well throw Harry out too and they're not going to do that."

Anakin relaxed at hearing that and Harry looked at him before standing and pulling Anakin to his feet. "Thank you, we'll come and get you when Severus gets back with the potions. For now though, we're both exhausted and need to rest. We'll see you tomorrow morning."

Harry steered Anakin out of the hall, telling the other Jedi that they needed sleep. They made it all the way to their corridor and Anakin stumbled into his and Padme's room. A cot had been set up for the twins and he fell into the bed beside Padme, going to sleep almost immediately. Harry surreptitiously set up a monitoring charm to alert him if Anakin had a nightmare, even though he knew that Padme would most likely help him through it, and left. He had one last thing to do before seeking his own bed and that was checking on his daughter.

Making his way to the creche section of the Temple he found Tamsin easily enough and just stood above her crib, watching her sleep. Ginny found him there and gently led him back to bed, not needing much persuasion as he was satisfied that Tamsin was safe and not in danger. Just before she went to sleep, Ginny cast the same monitoring charm on Harry as he had cast on Anakin, she wanted to be able to wake and help him if he needed it.

A week later Severus Snape appeared on Yavin 4 and was immediately taken to Harry and Anakin. Both had told the Council of what had happened during the evacuation and it had gone exactly as Hikari had predicted. The Council wasn't happy about the deaths of the Padawans but they couldn't really blame Anakin, and nor did they blame Harry, since Mace had been in that fight with Sidious as well. They were all interested in the outcome of the experiment as they called it, much to Lily and Ginny's indignation.

"Ready Harry, Anakin" Severus asked, giving each of them a vial of a thick purple potion. The antidote was green and just as thick. Both Jedi looked at each other and then at the circle of Council members, friends and healers and then said, "Bottoms up" before downing the potions in one gulp.

The effects weren't immediately noticeable until they began to shrink. Within minutes the 34 year old Harry Potter and the 26 year old Anakin Skywalker were reduced to the age of 4 year olds. They looked round at all the large people standing in a circle around them and began to tremble.

James and Lily knelt down and held out their arms to Harry. "Harry, love, come here. It's us Harry, its Mum and Dad. Come on Harry, we won't let anyone hurt you." They kept up this flood of soothing words until the four year old form of their son came walking over to them, a bit unsteadily, and still wary. Anakin was still looking round nervously, until he spotted Ginny who was holding her arms out to him and walked over to her, still wary and tense but he seemed to accept comfort from her. The three Potters stood with their newly shrunk members of the family in their arms and glared at the people that crowded round too close in the interests of examining the effects of the potion.

Harry whimpered at the closeness of strange people, even though his adult mind told him who they were. Finally he seemed to let go of his fear and looked round. Spotting Yoda he struggled until Lily put him down.

Yoda watched with interest as the four year old Harry Potter walked towards him. He stayed silent, wanting to see what the miniature Jedi Master would do. Harry walked up and hesitantly held out his hand.

"Hello, Master Yoda" he said. Yoda's eyes widened. "Remember me you do?" he asked. Harry nodded, and tried to explain himself but grew frustrated. With a surge of magic he let his words be heard telepathically by everyone.

_I know who you all are but my four year old self is here and at the moment he's scared and afraid. This is part of the process; I need to let him have enough control so that all the overwhelming emotions from the past few days can be let out safely. So rest assured that I do know you all but I will be letting my four year old self have control until the emotional stuff is worked through and he, for all intents and purposes doesn't know you so don't be offended if I react badly to any of you, it isn't personal OK?_

"OK Harry. Why don't you go back to your parents, they seem to want to cuddle you till you get sick of it" Mace said with a smile. All the Jedi in the room were looking at the four year old versions of the two Chosen Ones with smiles, hoping that they could resolve their issues over time. James picked Harry up and walked out of the room, with Lily and Ginny behind him, Ginny still holding Anakin in her arms. The five made it back to James and Lily's room where the two four year olds were put down on the floor. Anakin made for a piece of machinery where he began to tinker with it. Harry looked round in confusion before heading for a corner. James and Lily watched in confusion and shock as Harry curled up in the corner, merely watching Anakin play but not joining in.

"What are we going to do?" James hissed to Lily. She sighed and shook her head at James' question before conjuring a ball and gently crouching down in front of Harry.

"Harry, do you want to play?" she asked. Harry looked at her with wide eyes, before he looked down. "Not allowed to" he muttered. Lily shook her head. "Yes you are Harry, look, come play with me."

Harry watched in confusion as Lily began to throw the ball up and down, before rolling it towards him. Hesitantly he reached out and pushed it back towards her. She grinned and pushed it back. Mother and son soon settled into a game which gradually built Harry's confidence. Unfortunately he grew a bit too excited and lost control of his magic. A vase on the side table shattered with a crash. Harry jumped and promptly retreated into his ball, whimpering.

James entered the picture then. Squatting down, he gently managed to uncurl Harry and held him. "Look Harry, it's all fixed" he said, waving his wand. Harry looked at him and asked, "You're not mad?" James shook his head. "No Harry. It was an accident. That's all. An accident."

"How did you fix it?" Harry asked. James looked perplexed before answering, "Magic." Harry shook his head. "No such thing" he muttered, reverting to the Dursley teachings as a way of making sense of things. James and Lily looked at each other and silently vowed to make a trip to Earth once things were settled in the Republic once more and kill the Dursleys.

"Yes there is Harry. How did I fix it if not with magic?" James said gently. Harry looked thoughtful before saying, "Magic is real?" James and Lily both nodded again and Harry held out his hand towards the ball. Without saying anything he concentrated and the ball began to float upwards. Anakin looked over and thought that the game Harry was playing was much more fun.

He tried levitating it too, and it fell down. Anakin glared at Harry and said "You made it fall." Harry frowned. "Did not" he snapped back.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

This continued for a while as James, Lily and Ginny looked on in amusement at the antics, before deciding that enough really was enough when Anakin pushed Harry over and Harry's magic acted to protect him, throwing Anakin across the room. Both young Jedi found themselves in separate corners for a while, until they finally apologized to each other.

That night, when both were asleep in the same room, although in different beds, Harry was awoken by a soft whimper from Anakin. He got out of his bed and climbed into Anakin's bed, cuddling up to him. Anakin's whimpers slowed and then ceased. James and Lily, who had heard the whimpers, came to see what was wrong and James sneakily took a holopicture of the scene.

"Blackmail material" he said and winced when Lily smacked him upside the head. They moved to separate the two boys, with James sitting with Harry while Lily talked with Anakin about the nightmare. The next night it was Harry's turn to be comforted through a nightmare while Anakin was encouraged to go back to sleep.

This continued through the next three weeks, as both boys had frequent nightmares. Harry even changed into the infant form of Goldshadow once or twice, which James made sure to take a picture of. The nightmares slowed and slowed over the months as the adult minds of Harry and Anakin slowly got past what had happened to them until one day James and Lily looked up from their perusal of the plans to form an organized rebellion against the new Empire, to see two solemn looking four year olds in front of them.

"We've decided that we want to be our normal ages again" Anakin went first. James raised an eyebrow and Harry cut into the explanation. "The nightmares will probably continue but we've got over the initial reactions enough that we feel ready to deal with it as our adult selves, not our four year old selves."

"If you feel ready Harry, Anakin, we have no problem with it. We just want one more thing though" Lily said, looking at Harry with a sort of longing in her eyes. Harry frowned before squeaking as she swept him into a tight hug. James set up the holocam and sat down with Harry on his knee while Anakin sat on Lily's. The camera went off and the picture developed a few minutes later.

Later that afternoon the antidotes were handed out and soon the four year olds developed back into the normal appearances of Harry and Anakin, both of whom looked at each other and said, "Well that was weird" as soon as they'd recovered the ability to talk properly. James sneakily held out the holopic he'd taken the first night that the nightmares struck and then the picture of Harry as an infant Goldshadow. He didn't get the reaction he was hoping for as Harry promptly changed into the adult Goldshadow before changing back and grinning.

"Nice try Dad but I happen to think that those pictures are rather cute. Now, where's Ginny, Tamsin and Damien. I need to talk to them before Anakin and I set up our counseling sessions. James nodded and went to call Ginny and Damien. Ginny appeared 5 minutes later and said that Damien would be along as soon as he'd finished classes for the day, to which Harry nodded and merely hugged Ginny tightly. Padme had come looking for Anakin and both women had brought their children so time was spent cooing at the 4 month old twins and the 5 1/2 month old Tamsin. The reason for the age difference was that Luke and Leia had arrived a bit late, which had caused some concern but not too much as Padme had been healthy and a week or so overdue wasn't too bad. Harry and Anakin looked at each other, both sporting goofy grins still, as they held their children, which had James shaking his head until Lily reminded him that if it hadn't been for the war, when Harry was born James would have taken out a front page ad in the Daily Prophet for months documenting everything about him, even the number of bowel movements. This quickly shut him up and he blushed hotly, along with Harry when he realized what Lily had said, while the rest laughed at them.

Months went by and Harry and Anakin were making slow but steady progress towards healing. Anakin's physical wounds from Mustafar had healed long since, but Harry still felt somewhat guilty and neither was really comfortable sparring together any more as both had to shove the memory of Mustafar to the back of their minds whenever they lined up against each other. This was a problem that Mace and Obi-Wan were determined to fix.

"OK Harry, this time you will spar with Anakin, and remember, you can't hurt him here, the lightsabers are set on the lowest level. Just spar and remember why you love it. You can't be afraid of sparring with Anakin for the rest of your life, he's one of the only ones capable of lasting more than a few minutes with you" Mace said as Harry warmed up in the clearing reserved for sparring. Over on the other side, Obi-Wan was giving a similar talk to Anakin. Both Jedi faced each other and then on a count of three, activated their blades.

"Begin!" Mace said and got out of the way as Harry and Anakin moved towards each other. The duel was stilted and awkward at first but gradually both Jedi remembered why they loved to spar against each other and then they really got into it. They loosened up and began tossing friendly insults back and forth like they used to before Mustafar. It had taken a while to get to this point but now that they'd reached it they recognized another hurdle overcome and both couldn't help laughing.

"Getting old Harry?" Anakin laughed as Harry slipped in the mud caused by a recent rain shower. Harry slid out of the way and threw mud at Anakin to distract him while he regained firmer footing.

"Old? Never. A wizard can live till 100 or beyond, I'm still a youngster!" Harry yelled back, his eyes sparkling with amusement. As Anakin wiped mud out of his eyes Harry grinned and asked, "I wasn't aware that mud was in the sky Anakin, perhaps you ought to be called Groundrunner instead of Skywalker?"

Anakin growled and leapt at Harry, who countered the attack easily. Both stopped at a prearranged signal, their blades crossed and neither giving an inch. The match had ended in a draw as most of their duels did. Both disengaged and deactivated their blades, going to the natural hot spring for a bath before changing into fresh clothing.

"Are you ready for your final test Anakin?" Harry asked. Although they still had a few personal issues to work out, they didn't need Sora's or Hikari's help with them, just meditation and talking with each other and other people would do. Severus Snape had been very helpful to Anakin with working out his issues, and both he and Harry were grateful for that. The last test however, was to see if Anakin had managed to deal with his fear of the initiates and young Padawans. He had had something of a block regarding them and it hadn't been unusual for the Knight to be seen walking rapidly down a corridor to get as far away from the initiates as possible. This had confused and hurt the children until their caretakers had told them that he was still hurt from what had happened to him when they'd moved here and he needed time to recover.

"As ready as I'll ever be" Anakin said. Gathering his courage, Anakin turned and made his way to the initiate training rooms. His test would be to spend the day with the initiates as a guest instructor and general helper. He had made progress with meeting several groups of initiates over the weeks of his counseling but this would be the first time that he'd been around a large group since his brief transformation into Vader.

Harry watched him enter and then went to spend time with Damien. He needed to reconnect with his apprentice and make sure that his training hadn't suffered too much in the upheaval. Damien was still doing well academically, even though the classes were obviously less formalized than before, although the same material was covered. Even with the Republic in tatters, and the Empire on the rise, they still needed to learn diplomacy for when the Rebel Alliance was formed. Lightsaber skills were prioritized as well, and languages were put on hold for a while. Outdoor survival courses were also a priority too. Chemistry was obviously out of the question but astrophysics and navigation were still useful to learn, even though the Padawans grumbled about the most boring classes being the ones that were kept instead of the fun ones.

"You OK Master?" Damien asked after their short sparring match. Harry smiled at him and replied, "Yes Padawan. Things are finally settling down, and I was given a clean bill of health the other day so I'm on active duty again."

"That's great. What about Anakin though?" Damien asked, worried. Harry smiled again and said, "He'll be OK. He has a few more issues that need dealing with but he's not going to collapse on us anytime soon. How are your studies going, was Obi-Wan good to you while I was indisposed?"

"Yes he was great. He told me all sorts of stories about when you and he were Padawans, you sound like you were a trouble maker" Damien giggled. Harry smirked. "I will neither confirm nor deny that fact Padawan; however I will say that I got to like laundry duty if you know what I mean."

They laughed as they set off on an exploration of the local jungle. Harry remained mostly silent, letting Damien direct where they went and letting him do any tracking. He stepped in when needed but otherwise simply enjoyed being outdoors.

When they got back Anakin met them with a smile. In a happy tone of voice he announced, "I survived. No fear whatsoever. I've been given a clean bill of health with the provision that I come back in a month's time to check how I am. Nightmares have been almost non existent lately so I think I'm almost recovered."

"That's great Anakin. Now, I believe we're needed in the main hall, something about a meeting to decide what to do about that dratted Empire" Harry said, walking towards the meeting hall with Anakin beside him. For now, at least, things resembled something approaching normal.

Harry and Anakin walked into the meeting room to find the Jedi Council, Bail, Padme, and the small group of Senators that had put together the petition before the end of the Republic all sitting round a table, discussing what to do. Looking up, they invited the two to sit down, and began discussing various ideas.

"What do you think we ought to do Harry?" Bail asked. Harry frowned. "Why are you asking me?" he questioned. The group chuckled and Bail answered, "You told us about that little student rebellion you organized at school when you were on Earth Harry, we thought you might be able to help us expand on that to build a galactic size version of it."

Harry chuckled grimly. "First of all, that rebellion was against a teacher and her ridiculous Ministry supported decrees, we weren't looking to topple the whole government. Second, I doubt that fireworks and swamps will work here, although they did back then. What I suggest, and feel free to pick it to pieces, is that you gather more sympathizers, have them sign some sort of loyalty oath so we can't be betrayed and then figure out how to best frustrate the Emperor to no end."

"Frustrate him?" Senator Mon Mothma asked. Harry nodded. "Yes. Put up stiff opposition to any decrees he tries to put through, work on subverting his supporters. Gain the support of the non human members of the Republic; I have a feeling that the Emperor has a human only policy building up. We can take advantage of that if we work on it now. Gain schematics to fighters and other ships, or get shipyards to be friendly towards us so we have firepower if we need it."

The Senators were nodding in agreement but the Jedi Council looked worried. "Master Potter, you seem to be advocating all out war here" Plo Koon said cautiously. Harry looked at him grimly. "It's the last thing I want believe me Master Koon. However, I've learnt from bitter experience that ignoring a problem rarely makes it go away and at the moment the Emperor is busy consolidating his power base which means he's still a bit weak and vulnerable in places. If we can frustrate him by cutting his supply lines, converting his supporters, make people see that a free Republic is better than a strictly controlled police state type Empire then we could possibly end this without much bloodshed. However, the Emperor wants the Jedi Order dead; it's far better to have the military equipment and not need it than need it and not have it. Also, the government isn't strong enough to stand against say, half the galaxy if we get the Rebellion running right."

"Yes but didn't you say yourself that the average person in your war on Earth preferred to ignore the problem and didn't care who was in charge as long as it didn't affect them?" Mace asked. Harry blinked as he applied the principle to the Republic and then he scowled.

"You're right but that means we'll have to work harder at convincing them. Besides, this will affect them, especially the non human Republic worlds. It isn't inconceivable that those worlds would be put at a disadvantage in the new reigme. Slavery comes to mind first off, new rules designed to restrict movements of non humans, things like that. It would start slowly and subtly of course, but over time it would become more and more overt and the restrictions would then be so tight that there would be nothing that could be done about it. Therefore, we work now to preempt that. Most of the recruitment will have to be done via the political channels until word gets out and we'll need to set up bases on other worlds apart from here. A multi pronged attack is better than a single strike."

The meeting continued and finally at the end of the evening, having been interrupted for dinner, a tentative plan was hashed out. The Rebel Alliance would slowly form from the ashes of the Republic and would challenge the might of the newly formed Empire wherever and whenever possible.

Standing outside and looking up at the stars, Harry vowed to give Sidious the largest headache he'd ever had. He wasn't going to let the Emperor have the galaxy without a fight, and he had the feeling that his family and friends would join him in his quest. Sidious would not get one moment's peace if the Potter and Skywalker families, backed up by the rest of the Jedi Order and the fledgling Rebellion had anything to say about it.

The Empire was going to be royally screwed.

**Continued in Episode Four: Flames of Hope**


End file.
